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Kunkel, Angela Burke

Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schön, and Some Very Famous Ducklings

48 pp. | Random/Random House Studio | April, 2023 | Trade ISBN 9780593373354 $19.99 | Library ISBN 9780593373361 $22.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780593373378 $11.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Claire Keane. This story spans decades, introducing two artists separately until Nancy Schön (born 1928) begins work on her sculptures of Robert McCloskey's (1914–2003) beloved duckling characters for Boston's Public Garden. Kunkel (­Digging for Words, rev. 1/21) dips into and out of each creator's story line smoothly and effectively, advancing the narrative to get to the heart of the book: how an illustrator's drawings were re-envisioned by a sculptor as three-dimensional public art. Keane's digital illustrations on sepia-tinted backgrounds have an appropriately vintage look; her loose lines and energetic compositions are a good match for the conversational (and lengthy) text. After some brief background about each artist's early years, three double-page spreads neatly outline McCloskey's path to the publication of Make Way for Ducklings in 1941. Schön's artistic career is more circuitous (raising a family is her priority), and she receives less recognition; once she conceives of the duckling project, Kunkel focuses on the sculptor's meticulous process, along with the added pressure of interpreting a living artist's iconic characters. Scenes of meetings between McCloskey and Schön reveal how the two navigated a potentially tricky collaboration. An author's note and timeline provide more detail about the subjects and the sculptures. For more on McCloskey and the creation of his Caldecott Medal–winning book, read Smith's Mr. McCloskey's Marvelous Mallards (rev. 11/22).
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

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