Nobody’s Duck by Mary Sullivan

 

Today's post comes to us from Lizzie Nolan, a Senior Librarian in Youth Services at the San José Public Library. Under the great inspiration of this very blog she helped start a mock Odyssey award blog for great children's audiobooks at Ears on the Odyssey.

Duck is pretty happy on Alligator’s lawn. Alligator though, is not very much so. Duck insists that he is simply being himself and that he is “ ...nobody’s duck”, but Alligator goes on a madcap quest to prove otherwise.

Mary Sullivan’s 2014 picture book Ball snagged a Geisel Honor. Her latest, Nobody’s Duck, offers new readers many compelling and memorable moments putting her in the running for the Gesiel again.

Nobody’s Duck simply put is hilarious and uncomplicated. Odd couples as main characters are a hallmark of beginning readers and offer a built in tension for comedy.(And I’ll admit, I’m sucker for them!) But it is Sullivan’s expressive illustrations and pacing choices that heighten the humor and the page turning quality. Alligator, true to his uptight personality, wears a collar and tie, and has comic book like markings of distress and frustration encircling his head in each scene. Duck on the other hand is drawn as a carefree and live in the moment kind of creature, with big expressions of excitement or earnestness poking out his ever so slightly oversized beak. The illustrations also depict the concepts in the text with skill. I was particularly impressed with the use of a “thinking cap” to illustrate the abstract concept of thinking.

Sullivan also successfully creates a primer for the graphic novel format with a smattering of rounded panels and expressive word bubbles. For example, at the end of the book Sullivan cleverly uses a series of wordless panels to reminisce about the moments of friendship in Alligator and Duck’s past adventures. Without words, Sullivan gets across the end point of the plot - that Alligator and Duck are now buddies. On the other side of this page, Sullivan shapes the word bubble into a heart that again shows young readers that Alligator has found a loving friend in Duck.

The text too is straightforward and does not contain many words and is full repetition. In search of his “somebody” Alligator brings Duck to the library, the movies, the go-kart track, and a skydiving place. At each locale, Alligator asks “Is this your duck?” and some other animal replies “No. That is not my duck.” Outside of this basic setup, Duck uses a few emotive quacks, question words (Who, What, Yes, No, etc.) and few additional words that have visual cues or context. Overall, the text offers the chance for a positive reading experience for new reader.


Nobody’s Duck has lots for young readers’ to enjoy. The humor, clear cut premise, and graphic novel like illustrations are elements that could easily put it on the radar of the 2019 Geisel committee.