The Duck and the Darklings by Glenda Millard, ill. Stephen Michael King, A & U Children (Allen and Unwin), ISBN 9781743312612
REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 9, WA
Matilda reviewed her own copy of this picture book.
This is a story about how the world is changing. People live underground because they are ashamed about what humans have done to the earth. Most of the old people have disremembered the good things that happened on top of the earth.
When Peterboy looks for something that would make Grandpapa’s eyes light up and stay like that, he finds Idaduck. But ducks need to go on top of the earth and to have the wind in their wings, so she can’t stay with Peterboy and Grandpapa forever.
I know the names of the author and illustrator from the Kingdom of Silk series.
What’s interesting about this book is the way the author has fiddled with the words. It makes the book kind of like a poem and it feels like a different world.
Stephen Michael King does the illustrations and I like them because they show the dark and also show the light with shapes of hot colours. The last few pages are full of light and there is no dark. This leaves you feeling happy.
I think ages 7 to 10 would like this book. Little kids might not understand because of all the fiddled-around words, but older kids might like those.
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Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of The Cleo Stories. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!
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