And It's Spring
Making Way for Make Way, Upcoming Events, and More
Hi! Hello! It’s been a very long time since I’ve sent out a newsletter and this is my first one using Substack, a new platform for me. I’m trying to step back a bit from other social media, because it’s better for my brain and my writing, and I really enjoy the more long form pieces other writers I admire post on this platform, so I’m giving it a go— and I hope you enjoy it, too.
Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schön, and Some Very Famous Ducklings, my picture book with illustrator Claire Keane, was released this week, and I’m so happy that it’s finally out in the world. I started working on this book during the pandemic, and it’s one that really pushed me as a writer. I’m proud of how it came out, and hope it will speak to anyone who loves making things and enjoys the creative process.
How the Book Came About
Years ago, when I was a student at Simmons College in Boston, I nannied for a little girl named Emily. One of my favorite memories from that time was taking Emily to the Public Garden on a spring day and watching her interact with the bronze sculpture of Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings, walking up and down, patting and hugging and sitting on each duck. Years later, when our own daughter was born, a friend from Massachusetts sent us a copy of Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings, encouraging us to come visit Boston (and the sculpture) again. Within a few years, we did. Ten years after that, during a trivia game at the wedding reception of an American relative and his Russian groom, I learned that a replica of Boston's beloved duckling statue was installed in Moscow's Novodevichy Park. And with that, the idea for a picture book began . . .
. . . and shifted. As it turns out, the diplomatic ins and outs of a Cold War-era gift does not make for very good picture book material. It led me, however, to a new appreciation of the artistic processes of both Robert McCloskey, author and illustrator of Make Way for Ducklings, and Nancy Schön, the sculptor who reimagined his well-loved book as a piece of public art. Make Way is a dual picture book biography of both artists, illustrated by the incredible Claire Keane:
Did you know Robert McCloskey originally wanted to do his book in color? Claire's palette was inspired by his original color sketches for Make Way for Ducklings (shown below), and I can't wait for readers to see all her brilliant nods to the original.
Here’s a couple of sneak peeks of the interior of the book:
Why the Ducklings Matter
But back to that memory of Emily, walking up and down and patting and hugging each duck. In case you’re not familiar with Nancy Schön’s sculpture in the Boston Public Garden, here’s what it looks like:
It’s a rare thing, to be able to photograph the ducks without people in the shot! We were there this past August, in the very early morning. Because usually, almost always, there are families and children doing the same thing that Emily and our own children did— patting the ducks, hugging the ducks, sitting on the ducks.
Which is why my first storytime for the book, at the New Haven Community Library in New Haven, Vermont, felt very special. A little girl—maybe five years old?— sat on the carpet, quietly holding her own well-worn paperback copy of Make Way for Ducklings. When we finished storytime, the girl walked up and, without a word, opened her own book. Glued on the inside cover was a photograph of her as a toddler in a winter coat, sitting on Mrs. Mallard, all of the ducklings behind them wearing tiny Santa hats. Beneath the photo, she had carefully written her name and age at the time the picture was taken.
And that’s why McCloskey’s book and Schön’s public art matter, why they have stood the test of time— because they hold comfort and make memories for so many children and so many families. Thank you, Elly, for sharing your book and your picture and your memories on Saturday.
Upcoming Boston Events!
I have two upcoming bookstore events in the Boston area!
On Tuesday, April 25th I’ll be at Wellesley Books for “Storytime with the Author” at 10:00. (Click on the image below to register.)
The following day, April 26th, I’ll be doing a storytime at Beacon Hill Books and Café at 4:00 (again, you can click on the image to register).
I hope to see some of you there! And, if you can make it to Boston in the springtime to visit those ducks, it’s the best time to do it. Everything is in bloom, and a swan boat ride is pretty nice, too.
Wishing you all a slow, beautiful spring full of walks and wonder.