Book Descriptions
for Make Way by Angela Burke Kunkel and Claire Keane
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
“In the beginning, a duck is an egg. A drawing is a blank page. A sculpture is a lump of clay. ”In the beginning, there was a boy named Bob and a girl named Nancy. Bob grew up in Ohio and later studied art in Boston, where he often watched the ducks in the Public Garden. Nancy grew up near Boston and liked looking at books about sculptors in the library. Bob, a.k.a. Robert McCloskey, wrote and illustrated a beloved picture book called Make Way for Ducklings. Nancy Schön later created the iconic, child-pleasing duck sculptures in Boston Public Garden based on the story. This charming account of the two artists and their linked works incorporates marvelous details about their individual research for their respective projects (McCloskey even brought home a live duck for study), and their first and subsequent meetings as Nancy sought Bob’s approval for the sculptures. The winsome illustrations are a perfect pairing for the storytelling in a volume that includes more about each artist in an author’s note, along with a timeline and short bibliography. (Ages 6–9)
CCBC Choices 2024. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2024. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
A beautiful and fascinating picture book biography that follows the lives of Robert McCloskey, creator of Make Way for Ducklings, and sculptor Nancy Schön, whose famous bronze ducks grace Boston Public Garden.
In the beginning, there was a boy named Robert McCloskey, growing up in Ohio, his hands always moving, always creating. Many years later, after attending art school in Boston, he would reflect on his days wandering through Boston Garden and write the classic picture book Make Way for Ducklings.
In the beginning, there was also a girl named Nancy Schön. She grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, working in her father's greenhouse, twisting wire and boughs into wreaths. Many years later, Nancy would look at Robert's drawings in Make Way for Ducklings and get the seed of an idea. That seed became the beloved bronze sculptures of Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings that stand in Boston Garden today.
This stunning and clever picture book biography intertwines the lives of two phenomenal artists--who were contemporaries and friends--and reveals the extraordinary impact they've had on generations of children.
In the beginning, there was a boy named Robert McCloskey, growing up in Ohio, his hands always moving, always creating. Many years later, after attending art school in Boston, he would reflect on his days wandering through Boston Garden and write the classic picture book Make Way for Ducklings.
In the beginning, there was also a girl named Nancy Schön. She grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, working in her father's greenhouse, twisting wire and boughs into wreaths. Many years later, Nancy would look at Robert's drawings in Make Way for Ducklings and get the seed of an idea. That seed became the beloved bronze sculptures of Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings that stand in Boston Garden today.
This stunning and clever picture book biography intertwines the lives of two phenomenal artists--who were contemporaries and friends--and reveals the extraordinary impact they've had on generations of children.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
