Were You a Wild Duck, Where Would You Go? - Hardcover

Mendoza, George

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1556701365 ISBN 13: 9781556701368

Publisher: Stewart Tabori & Chang, 1990

Synopsis

A wild duck narrator looks at the past when the environment was bountiful, searches through today's polluted environment for a home, and encourages saving and restoring the environment for the future

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

The efforts and presumed intent of author and illustrator are to be commended in this artfully produced book that makes an eloquent plea for ecological awareness. And while this important issue should be brought to young people's attention, this work seems somewhat contradictory: a skillfully written (though occasionally pretentious), stunningly illustrated picture book--for adults. Lyrical in its language, Mendoza's narrative poem will surely be beyond the grasp of most children. For example: "A fisherman . . . wades soundlessly into the current pebbly with stars, / casting his line, silvery-liquid, under falling night." This imagery, while haunting and evocative, is bound to present problems of interpretation for young readers. Osborn-Smith's pastel paintings are striking in their composite designs; but here too, her frequently abstract pictures possess subtleties that will elude most youngsters' vision. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

"I can recall once-upon-a-time/ when North America was a bird's fairy tale." Through the character of a mallard, Mendoza recalls the land that was, traces the growing desolation of the present, and makes a plea for preservation in the future. Surrounded by large expanses of clean white page , the lyrical text and the delicate, patterned watercolor illustrations complement one another like musical point and counterpoint. This picture book is not easy, however. Although the plea for preservation is impassioned, the overall tone is one of reminiscent sadness. Both that and the sometimes complex imagery may keep some children at a distance. But the idea is one of increasing importance, and any children's collection large enough to go beyond just the basic books on environmental protection will be enriched by this artistic approach to the subject. --Karen James, Louisville Free Pub . Lib . , KY
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Stewart Tabori & Chang
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 1556701365
• ISBN 13: 9781556701368
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 31
• Illustrator: Osborn-Smith Jane