How to use this Page

Today started out as a typical day in the office, but by mid-morning we were in rescue mode.

On Wednesday mamma mallard and ten baby ducklings were wandering around the grass outside the Sylvan Dell office building. With a small pond nearby and a downpour of rain the day before it is not uncommon to see waterfowl outside our windows on occasion.  Baby ducklings however, were too cute in a line behind their mother that we couldn’t help but watch as they waddled around.

When our editor and Buddy the office dog went outside this morning, she found  that mamma duck was no longer with her babies and there were only four still quacking, six were no longer living. Stuck in the landscaping, and unable to get out of the well around a tree, the staff decided to help.

Mamma duck was quacking away in the nearby pond and so we tried a ramp, but they were afraid and the ramp was steep. Next we worked together to herd the babies into a box so that we could deliver them to safety. After several tries and many strategies the three of us were able to get three of the babies into the box and one baby was actually able to make it out of the well and ran all the way to the pond to quickly jump in. Mom swam over to her ducklings as they all hopped into the water.

It was a successful reuniting, and we were very happy to bring the family back together. We must  thank Jennifer Keats Curtis for writing the books Baby Owl’s Rescue, and Animal Helpers: Wildlife Rehabilitators, she gave us the inspiration and knowledge to save these babies from harm.

Ducklings in a Row by Renee Heiss illustrated by Matthew B. Holcomb Character Publishing 4 Star . Back Cover:  When Mama Duck asks her ducklings to arrange themselves from One to Ten, the baby ducks learn much more than sequencing skills. In Ducklings in a Row, ten unique duckling personalities combine to gorm a humorous …

3 Stars Autobiography of a Duck John Arnold 36 Pages    Ages:  7 and  up …………. Autobiography of a Duck is just that, the life of one Pekin Duck, not a chick, as told by the duck. Duck hatched and then lived with his siblings and his mother on a farm. Then one day, some humans [...]

April was a busy and guest-post-and-interview-packed month for Jacket Knack and may I just say, wow. Really, may I? "Wow." Julie did the lion's share of the posting because I've been moving and stuff. And there were some amazing interviews presented here this month. To wit:

• April 8th. The Bologna Children's Book Fair as seen through the eyes of Sarah Blake Johnson. What great cover images she sent us! Highlights of her guest post for me:

  1. The cover from Portugal. Love it. Interesting that the artist chose to have the animals facing left. I can't read Portugese, but is that first word, "bichos" the word for a female dog? Probably not. (No, it means "animals." What is wrong with me?) 2. The idea that the Korean covers were the most visually stunning = intriguing. Must look for some Korean kids' book cover images soon.

• April 12th. The interview with Sally Wern Comport about the cover art of Rita Williams Garcia's One Crazy Summer. Stuff I learned:

  1. The red cover symbolizes, among other things the "hot tempest of this particular time in history," which is to say, the Civil Rights Movement. Didn't think of that. 2. The observation that illustration in the late sixties had skewed perspectives and thickly outlined elements. So true! Oh, how I long for those groovy days of yesteryear when we ate Knox gelatin to lose weight.

• April 15th. An interview with the cover designer for Warriors in the Crossfire, Helen Robinson, now at namelos. So many juicy tidbits to nosh on here. Here are two:

  1. I was struck by the way Helen goes about envisioning an image, intuitively and almost without thinking. How fun it must be to approach a creative project in that manner. 2. The idea of design for an e-book. I've been wondering about this a LOT--not that it's keeping me awake at night or anything, but still. Hope to do a post about it sometime.

  
  
• April 22nd. The interview with art director Richard Deas at Holt about the cover for Once. Amazing. Two things:

  1. Seeing the comps gives us an understanding of the "organic" nature of cover desig

  5 Comments on Highlights from Our 4 Juiciest April Posts, and a Fluffy Cover that Works, last added: 4/26/2010

  Display Comments

  NicolaSigel0508 said, on 4/26/2010 5:37:00 AM
  

  Julie Larios said, on 4/26/2010 8:23:00 AM
  

  Great overview, Carol. Let's find out what "comps" is short for! I can't come up with anything - compensatory? Complimentary? Compost?
  
  Just for the record: I'm going to go in and put a hold on comments like the one above. Comments from now on are going to need to be approved first. I'm happy to believe, not knowing what language this is, that it praises our energy and chuckles at the ducklings, but when I get to the part that says "sex story" I think, "Ducklings?"

  Julie Larios said, on 4/26/2010 8:26:00 AM
  

  Hey, wait a minute - the crazy comment above mine just disappeared. So I have a lot to learn about comments, I guess. I didn't know that could be done. Good!!!! Thank you!

  Carol Brendler said, on 4/26/2010 2:54:00 PM
  

  Yes, comment moderation might be in order (blecch). I think maybe "comps" means "comparables." That's my guess.

  Julie Larios said, on 4/26/2010 10:04:00 PM
  

  I'm going to be disappointed if it's not "Compost." Though you're probably right. Or it could be "composites."

  Add a Comment

Two quick duck-related links for you to enjoy.

The This Peanut Looks Like a Duck website.

Betsy Bird at A Fuse #8 Production has a gander at the inspiration for our masthead.

For a little change of pace, we offer this duck-related story.

Today I am thrilled to introduce you all to the newest residents here at OUP in Oxford. They have made themselves at home in one of our many quads. Behold, the OUP ducklings!

Here they are:

I think they might be the most adorable things I have ever seen in my life. As you can see, we’re taking good care of them - they have their own paddling pool! They decided to make their home in one of the quads without a pond, so we gave them one. They’ve also been given some foam to sit on, so that they stay warm.

But here’s the most important question: what shall we name them? Anyone got any clever ideas?

Thanks to Wizards Wireless for the news that Blueberries For Sal
will be available for purchase again soon. The article about the negotiations between the publisher and the McClosky estate is very interesting. Also, the book will be remastered to more closely reflect the original artwork.

Publisher's Weekly also mentioned the horrendous kidnapping of the duckling, Pack, from the Make Way for Ducklings statue in the Public Garden. Happily the little one has been located and will be returned to his family.

Here's the duckling story.

. . . a "children's lit. guide to Boston." She'll be visiting from Australia next month and wants to know what children's-book places she should try and see. I don't get out much, but of course you can't miss the ducklings, and while you're there you can see the original address of the Horn Book at 270 Boylston Street. Some excellent contemporary bookshops for boys and girls include The Children's Book Shop in Brookline Village and the Curious George store in Harvard Square.

J.L. Bell at Boston 1775 could probably be called upon to point out some of the more historical connections; I'm personally grateful to the Freedom Trail for the time I got lost on the way to work and it led me right to the Horn Book's (former) door.

Moving a bit further afield, don't miss the Little Women stronghold in Concord, and I would urge a day trip to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst--catch up with dear, demented Emily while you're there.