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Make Way for Ducklings
This classic tale of the famous Mallard ducks of Boston is available for the first time in a full-sized paperback edition. Awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1942, Make Way for Ducklings has been described as "one of the merriest picture books ever" (The New York Times). Ideal for reading aloud, this book deserves a place of honor on every child's bookshelf.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1941
184 people are currently reading
17.5k people want to read
About the author
Robert McCloskey
48 books341 followersJohn Robert McCloskey was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He both wrote and illustrated eight picture books and won two Caldecott Medals from the American Library Association recognizing the year's best-illustrated picture book. Four of those eight books were set in Maine: Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, Time of Wonder, and Burt Dow, Deep-water Man; the last three all on the coast. He was also the writer for Make Way For Ducklings, as well as the illustrator for The Man Who Lost His Head.
McCloskey was born in Hamilton, Ohio, during 1914 and reached Boston in 1932 with a scholarship to study at Vesper George Art School. After Vesper George he moved to New York City for study at the National Academy of Design.
In 1940, he married Peggy Durand, daughter of the children's writer Ruth Sawyer. They had two daughters, Sally and Jane, and settled in New York State, spending summers on Scott Island, a small island off Little Deer Isle in East Penobscot Bay. McCloskey's wife and eldest daughter Sally are reputed to be the models for little Sal and her mother in Blueberries for Sal (1948), a picture book set on a "Blueberry Hill" in the vicinity. Three others of his picture books are set on the coast and concern the sea.
Peggy died in 1991. Twelve years later on June 30, 2003, McCloskey died at his home in Deer Isle, Maine.
McCloskey was born in Hamilton, Ohio, during 1914 and reached Boston in 1932 with a scholarship to study at Vesper George Art School. After Vesper George he moved to New York City for study at the National Academy of Design.
In 1940, he married Peggy Durand, daughter of the children's writer Ruth Sawyer. They had two daughters, Sally and Jane, and settled in New York State, spending summers on Scott Island, a small island off Little Deer Isle in East Penobscot Bay. McCloskey's wife and eldest daughter Sally are reputed to be the models for little Sal and her mother in Blueberries for Sal (1948), a picture book set on a "Blueberry Hill" in the vicinity. Three others of his picture books are set on the coast and concern the sea.
Peggy died in 1991. Twelve years later on June 30, 2003, McCloskey died at his home in Deer Isle, Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,983 reviews
March 7, 2019
The Big Chill Except With The Ducklings From Make Way For Ducklings, Now All Grown Up is what I originally was going to post for this review but then I was like you know who likes ridiculous things with extremely long titles is McSweeney's, I should see if they want this, and they did. Here are the Duckling things I didn't cover:
a) my kid thinks all cops are named Michael now
b) here is a funny tweet
c) this book is very famous amongst Bostonians and all babies born in Boston automatically get like five copies of it from various cousins. This is for good reasons:
c.1) there are not many famous things from Boston, it's pretty much this and Aerosmith, western Mass tries to take credit for the Pixies too but it doesn't always work
c.2) Make Way For Ducklings is oddly specific in its Boston geography. It's practically a tour guide.
Anyway the result is that there's a statue of the ducklings on Boston Common and here's my kid with them, following my general rule of Always Post A Picture Of Your Cute-Ass Kid, People Seem To Like That.
My friend Joanne below reminds me that there's even an annual Duckling Parade in Boston - May 12 for 2019 - at which, I assume, toddlers run into traffic.
May 9, 2019
A beautifully illustrated story about two mallards who are searching for the perfect place to raise a family. Although they don't pick an ideal place everyone does their best to help the ducks when the ducklings arrive. A happy story about ducks raising a family and living in a built up area.
Borrowed from openlibrary.
Borrowed from openlibrary.
February 22, 2021
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are looking for a place to hatch their ducklings and live. They fly all around and try to look for a perfect place. They come across a place by the Charles River and hatch the ducklings there. They have eight ducklings. They also come across a nice, friendly policeman called Michael who feeds them and also helps them to cross across the town in busy traffic.
This is such an adorable book with charming, vintage pictures. I have the new version that is read by the actor, Jake Gyllenhall which makes for a perfect audiobook for children.
5 stars
This is such an adorable book with charming, vintage pictures. I have the new version that is read by the actor, Jake Gyllenhall which makes for a perfect audiobook for children.
5 stars
April 19, 2024
I just adored Michael the Policeman.
September 5, 2023
Giving this to my grandson for his birthday. I remember delighting in reading this to his mommy and aunt when they were little. An appealing old-fashioned tale about a pair of mallards who settle in Boston after a long weary search for a place to raise their brood. The really charming part comes when Mrs. Duck is trying to cross the busy streets with her 8 little hatchlings named, Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack. Mike the policeman comes to the rescue, personally and through requesting reinforcements.
Absolutely DUCKY! 🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆
Absolutely DUCKY! 🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆
June 3, 2022
How did I get to be 64 years old without ever having read this Caldecott-winning classic? It’s a reminder that you don’t need full-color illustrations or gimmicks for a book to be amazing. This picture book on the plight of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard seeking a home for their babies in Boston has delighted young and old alike since its release in 1941; it’s easy to see why. Lovely illustrations and a compelling story make Make Way for Ducklings as wonderful today as ever.
November 11, 2016
5***** and a ❤
Mr and Mrs Mallard search for a good home in which to raise their brood. It must be safe from foxes and turtles, have water to swim in, and a good source of food. They find the perfect place just in time.
This is a perennial favorite for children and their parents. I have many fond memories of sitting before the television, watching in rapt attention as Captain Kangaroo read this book to us. Oh, how I loved the story of how Policeman Michael and the other people ensured the safety of Mrs Mallard and her brood: Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack, as they crossed busy streets, waddled past coffee shops and book stores, and finally made their way to the Public Gardens, for a reunion with Mr Mallard who waited patiently on the little island in the pond.
It’s an absolute delight to revisit this story and my adult self is much more able to appreciate the wonderfully detailed illustrations.
Mr and Mrs Mallard search for a good home in which to raise their brood. It must be safe from foxes and turtles, have water to swim in, and a good source of food. They find the perfect place just in time.
This is a perennial favorite for children and their parents. I have many fond memories of sitting before the television, watching in rapt attention as Captain Kangaroo read this book to us. Oh, how I loved the story of how Policeman Michael and the other people ensured the safety of Mrs Mallard and her brood: Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack, as they crossed busy streets, waddled past coffee shops and book stores, and finally made their way to the Public Gardens, for a reunion with Mr Mallard who waited patiently on the little island in the pond.
It’s an absolute delight to revisit this story and my adult self is much more able to appreciate the wonderfully detailed illustrations.
June 11, 2008
This is probably one of my all time favorites. I live near Boston and am very familiar with the Public Garden. They have installed "Make Way for Duckling" sculptures there which any visitor to Boston might enjoy seeing.
August 13, 2018
3.5 Stars
I adore the art in this book... and it’s just so stinking cute? Small fry loved counting the ducklings and reading off their names. But the ending also feels really abrupt after soooo much build up?
I adore the art in this book... and it’s just so stinking cute? Small fry loved counting the ducklings and reading off their names. But the ending also feels really abrupt after soooo much build up?
November 4, 2016
Warning: CONTAINS SPOILERS!
My reading of Make Way for Ducklings is not seeped in nostalgia like some readers' experiences might be at a later age. Because of this, I might have the advantage (or disadvantage?) of recognizing some questionable plot holes that the more sentimental reader might overlook.
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard open our story by flying over beautiful New England scenery with plenty of lakes, woods, and fields looking for a place to raise their family. Because there might be natural predators in, well, nature, they press onward toward the (naturally) safer choice to raise babies: in the heart of an east cost Metropolis.
Landing on an island in a lake in the middle of a city park, The Mallards delight in the free peanuts city slickers toss at them and exclaim that this right here is the good life (note: ducks should not eat peanuts). That is, until they almost get run over by a bicycle. No good! We can't have our babies squished. Let's press on, they agree.
Spotting another island (this time in the Charles River), The Mallards make the split-second decision of, "Yes let's just stay here." Good thing! Cause those eggs be comin.
The Mallards hang at their new island home, occasionally paddling over to the mainland to hang with their new police officer friend, Michael, who, you guessed it, feeds them peanuts.
After a few days, the eggs hatch into eight gorgeous ducklings named: Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack. Nope, not kidding. Jack and Mack lucked out, Quack is going to be forever teased at Duck School (Imagine if you were named "Yell") and Ouack will forever reflect on the fact that his parents didn't give a damn about his name, so long as they maintained their cute ABC trend.
Right after hatching, Daddy Duck thinks it's an excellent time to do some exploring. But, he says, I'll meet you in a week at the Public Garden (or the first island the Mallards encountered in Boston). Note: he doesn't say, "I'll be back in a week, hang tight," he says, "Please take our eight newborns on a dangerous excursion through the streets of Boston. Even though I can fly."
Luckily, Momma Mallard has taught the ducklings how to walk in a line, which is really the only necessary life-skill for city ducklings. That paired with, of course, the jolly bobby Michael get the ducklings safely across their first street. With a HUGE sense of urgency, Michael then phones the other policemen of the town saying, "Dudes, there are ducks on a mission in Boston; we gotta start closing down some streets."
Meanwhile, Momma Mallard struts around with a spring in her waddle as men and women praise her ability to keep her ducks in a row. She leads her gang through intersections like she owns the town, as numerous cops stop traffic to let them peep by. Once safely in the Public Garden, Mr. Mallard greets them with a subtle, "What took you so long?" while all the baby ducklings are wide-eyed and sallow-faced, wishing they could have spent the day hunting for beetles instead of nearly loosing Nack at the intersection of Churchill and Main.
In the end, The Mallards decide to stay at the Public Gardens, because they liked eating peanuts all day, and the bicycles aren't really THAT bad, right? Not like those foxes out in nature.
A beautifully illustrated book that highlights the complexities of sink-or-swim parenting, city-dwelling wildlife, and misconceptions about waterfowl diets.
My reading of Make Way for Ducklings is not seeped in nostalgia like some readers' experiences might be at a later age. Because of this, I might have the advantage (or disadvantage?) of recognizing some questionable plot holes that the more sentimental reader might overlook.
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard open our story by flying over beautiful New England scenery with plenty of lakes, woods, and fields looking for a place to raise their family. Because there might be natural predators in, well, nature, they press onward toward the (naturally) safer choice to raise babies: in the heart of an east cost Metropolis.
Landing on an island in a lake in the middle of a city park, The Mallards delight in the free peanuts city slickers toss at them and exclaim that this right here is the good life (note: ducks should not eat peanuts). That is, until they almost get run over by a bicycle. No good! We can't have our babies squished. Let's press on, they agree.
Spotting another island (this time in the Charles River), The Mallards make the split-second decision of, "Yes let's just stay here." Good thing! Cause those eggs be comin.
The Mallards hang at their new island home, occasionally paddling over to the mainland to hang with their new police officer friend, Michael, who, you guessed it, feeds them peanuts.
After a few days, the eggs hatch into eight gorgeous ducklings named: Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack. Nope, not kidding. Jack and Mack lucked out, Quack is going to be forever teased at Duck School (Imagine if you were named "Yell") and Ouack will forever reflect on the fact that his parents didn't give a damn about his name, so long as they maintained their cute ABC trend.
Right after hatching, Daddy Duck thinks it's an excellent time to do some exploring. But, he says, I'll meet you in a week at the Public Garden (or the first island the Mallards encountered in Boston). Note: he doesn't say, "I'll be back in a week, hang tight," he says, "Please take our eight newborns on a dangerous excursion through the streets of Boston. Even though I can fly."
Luckily, Momma Mallard has taught the ducklings how to walk in a line, which is really the only necessary life-skill for city ducklings. That paired with, of course, the jolly bobby Michael get the ducklings safely across their first street. With a HUGE sense of urgency, Michael then phones the other policemen of the town saying, "Dudes, there are ducks on a mission in Boston; we gotta start closing down some streets."
Meanwhile, Momma Mallard struts around with a spring in her waddle as men and women praise her ability to keep her ducks in a row. She leads her gang through intersections like she owns the town, as numerous cops stop traffic to let them peep by. Once safely in the Public Garden, Mr. Mallard greets them with a subtle, "What took you so long?" while all the baby ducklings are wide-eyed and sallow-faced, wishing they could have spent the day hunting for beetles instead of nearly loosing Nack at the intersection of Churchill and Main.
In the end, The Mallards decide to stay at the Public Gardens, because they liked eating peanuts all day, and the bicycles aren't really THAT bad, right? Not like those foxes out in nature.
A beautifully illustrated book that highlights the complexities of sink-or-swim parenting, city-dwelling wildlife, and misconceptions about waterfowl diets.
March 12, 2016
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“Make Way for Ducklings” is a Caldecott Medal award-winning book by Robert McCloskey and it is about how a family of ducks tries to live in the city of Boston. “Make Way for Ducklings” is a brilliant classic book that children will read over and over again.
Robert McCloskey has done a superb job at both illustrating and writing this book. Robert McCloskey makes this book extremely cute as it is simply about a family of ducks trying to adjust to life in the city. Both children and parents can easily relate to the duck family as they try to find a suitable place to live and parents and children can relate to their own experiences about moving to a new place to live and trying to adjust to the different settings of their new home. Also, Robert McCloskey brilliantly defines the true meaning of friendship in this book as Michael, the policeman, tries his best to help out the ducklings get settled in their new home and some families do have a best friend in their lives whenever they are trying to settle into a new home and someone comes and tries to help them get adjusted into their new environment. Robert McCloskey’s illustrations are extremely beautiful as he makes the ducks and ducklings look realistic and beautiful and the images are mainly in black and white colors, indicating the old fashioned feel of this book.
“Make Way for Ducklings” is a fantastic book about the trials of moving to a new place that many children and parents can easily relate to and will be a family favorite for many years. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the length of this book might bore smaller children.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
“Make Way for Ducklings” is a Caldecott Medal award-winning book by Robert McCloskey and it is about how a family of ducks tries to live in the city of Boston. “Make Way for Ducklings” is a brilliant classic book that children will read over and over again.
Robert McCloskey has done a superb job at both illustrating and writing this book. Robert McCloskey makes this book extremely cute as it is simply about a family of ducks trying to adjust to life in the city. Both children and parents can easily relate to the duck family as they try to find a suitable place to live and parents and children can relate to their own experiences about moving to a new place to live and trying to adjust to the different settings of their new home. Also, Robert McCloskey brilliantly defines the true meaning of friendship in this book as Michael, the policeman, tries his best to help out the ducklings get settled in their new home and some families do have a best friend in their lives whenever they are trying to settle into a new home and someone comes and tries to help them get adjusted into their new environment. Robert McCloskey’s illustrations are extremely beautiful as he makes the ducks and ducklings look realistic and beautiful and the images are mainly in black and white colors, indicating the old fashioned feel of this book.
“Make Way for Ducklings” is a fantastic book about the trials of moving to a new place that many children and parents can easily relate to and will be a family favorite for many years. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the length of this book might bore smaller children.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
January 21, 2018
The first duckling was named Jack. He was my favorite.
June 29, 2019
The art is beautiful and the story was quite nice
July 20, 2013
This book has always been one of my favorite Caldecott Medal winners for several reasons. It's just as appealing now as when I first read it as a child. The author/illustrator captures the personalities and behaviors of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard perfectly. That mother duck and those ducklings just keep waddling along the busy Boston streets, heedless of the danger that surrounds them, and trusting that someone will intervene to make sure they make their way through the traffic safely. Even after all these years and all these readings of the book, I still shudder to think what might have happened if the kind-hearted policeman Michael hadn't stopped traffic so the ducks could reach the Charles River where Mr. Mallard and their new island home awaited. The story is deeply engaging, and the accompanying illustrations add to the comic appeal as dismayed passengers and drivers are made to halt in their busy lives and make way for these ducklings. This book is a terrific example of how friendships can form in the most unlikely places and for the most surprising reasons.
November 20, 2017
One of the best. Classics are classics for a reason.
September 11, 2022
Classic as ever, especially as I've seen pics on FB of police officers escorting duck families across street even today. My young friend enjoyed the book and especially the cute illustrations.
November 16, 2023
A sweet story about a duck family trying to find a home that suits many ducklings. I loved the part when Mrs. Mallard, after training her ducklings to walk in an orderly line behind her, proudly walks them through the streets of Boston.
January 5, 2020
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard search for the ideal spot in which to raise a family in this delightful picture-book, which won Robert McCloskey the prestigious Caldecott Medal for his illustrations in 1942. Flying over Boston, they alight on the pond in the Public Garden, only to decide that this is not the place for raising babies when they are almost run over by a young bicyclist on one of the park paths. Moving on to a small island in the Charles River, they raise their brood of ducklings, intending to return to the Public Garden with them at a later date. But when Mrs. Mallard eventually does begin to escort her ducklings from the river to the park she encounters an unexpected obstacle, in the form of human traffic. How will they get to their destination with so many cars and trucks whizzing by? Fortunately the ducks' friend, Policeman Michael, is nearby, and comes to the natural conclusion: the people of Boston will simply have to make way...
A perennial favorite since the time it was first published, Make Way for Ducklings pairs a charming tale of an anatine family trying to make a home for themselves in a human-dominated landscape, with lovely black and white artwork that perfectly captures their sweet journey of discovery. Although I did not discover McCloskey's classic as a young child - how I wish that I had, as I would have taken its troupe of fluffy little ducklings entirely to heart - I'm glad I finally had a chance to read it, as part of my Caldecott project. The story is sweetly engaging, with an appealing cast of water-fowl - what is it about these ducklings, that they always seem to be in danger?!? - and has a happy ending that will leave young readers feeling content. The artwork, which was well worthy of the accolades it won, provides quite a bit of viewing pleasure, with its depiction of the Mallard family, and of the city of Boston. It's easy to see why this has become such a picture-book classic!
A perennial favorite since the time it was first published, Make Way for Ducklings pairs a charming tale of an anatine family trying to make a home for themselves in a human-dominated landscape, with lovely black and white artwork that perfectly captures their sweet journey of discovery. Although I did not discover McCloskey's classic as a young child - how I wish that I had, as I would have taken its troupe of fluffy little ducklings entirely to heart - I'm glad I finally had a chance to read it, as part of my Caldecott project. The story is sweetly engaging, with an appealing cast of water-fowl - what is it about these ducklings, that they always seem to be in danger?!? - and has a happy ending that will leave young readers feeling content. The artwork, which was well worthy of the accolades it won, provides quite a bit of viewing pleasure, with its depiction of the Mallard family, and of the city of Boston. It's easy to see why this has become such a picture-book classic!
May 27, 2017
Another book I enjoyed in my childhood. My daughter even found me a t-shirt of this from one of those literary catalogs. :)
January 22, 2025
One of our all time favorite books!
July 27, 2022
Another lovely and beautifully illustrated book by McCloskey as we see a pair of ducks start a family in a cozy little island near Boston and have an incredible adventure exploring the city. A (100%/Outstanding)
July 13, 2015
This was such a cute book!
I remember discovering about this book about 2 years ago on my trip in Boston. I went to the same public garden looking for the exact location of Robin Williams and Matt Damon scene in Good Will Hunting when they are sitting on a bench. I looked everywhere and because of my lack of research and my iPhone battery life I could not pinpoint it.
So instead I took a tour of Boston and learned about the book and I shelved this book in the farthest regions of my mind until now when I learn one of my friend is going to Boston for college. I immediately felt like I was in the park again because the illustrations of the book looks exactly like the real thing and could not believe how much effort that must have taken for a children's book to look real.
I enjoyed the story and it's great for kids the only issue I had was Mr. Millard simply left his wife all the heavy duty work of being a parent. She had to teach her kids how to swim, eat, walk in a line and being cautious with anything that has wheels. Other than that I really enjoyed the story and wished I could have read it sooner.
I remember discovering about this book about 2 years ago on my trip in Boston. I went to the same public garden looking for the exact location of Robin Williams and Matt Damon scene in Good Will Hunting when they are sitting on a bench. I looked everywhere and because of my lack of research and my iPhone battery life I could not pinpoint it.
So instead I took a tour of Boston and learned about the book and I shelved this book in the farthest regions of my mind until now when I learn one of my friend is going to Boston for college. I immediately felt like I was in the park again because the illustrations of the book looks exactly like the real thing and could not believe how much effort that must have taken for a children's book to look real.
I enjoyed the story and it's great for kids the only issue I had was Mr. Millard simply left his wife all the heavy duty work of being a parent. She had to teach her kids how to swim, eat, walk in a line and being cautious with anything that has wheels. Other than that I really enjoyed the story and wished I could have read it sooner.
August 19, 2013
I'm a big fan of McCloskey ever since I read the Homer books when I was a kid. So I was pleasantly surprised to find this book in our school supplies for our charter school this year. Nice to see some diversity in the language arts lesson plans. Unfortunately, (or rather fortunately), my 5 yr old tested out of Kindergarten and into first grade, so we'll be sending the materials back and waiting for our first grade materials. In the meantime, I'm going through and reading all the books to the kids from the Reading lesson plans, many of which seem to have Caldecott awards. This one had an award too, and it was easy to see why from the old-fashioned pictures that had so much detail. My son and I loved reading this one together over breakfast. Probably could be considered a level 2 reading book, and so my son could have read it on his own, however, sometimes reading together is just so much fun, and this author has always been a favorite of mine.
August 6, 2015
This kind of book is comfort food to me. I read it many times as a child, and then read it countless times to my own children. The illustrations are soft and gentle, without need for a lot of color to convey the story. I love the ducks and the names of the babies. I loved how the policemen stopped the traffic for the ducks. This is a favorite and will continue to be a favorite in years to come. I highly suspect someday I'll find some other children to read it to (perhaps grandchildren?) and I'll take as much delight in this book then, as I do now.
November 16, 2018
Everyone of all ages just has to read this. Period. Everyone who can find some little kids to read it to must stop what they're doing and read this to them at ONCE.
This was in a pile of our old books my mom took out when she was trying to find titles to use at a literacy program she volunteers with. I had to read it again because I thought I'd forgotten the story - but I hadn't! It's one of those nice ones to revisit and appreciate again as an adult -- just to discover that what you liked about it when you were little is much the same as what you love now.
This was in a pile of our old books my mom took out when she was trying to find titles to use at a literacy program she volunteers with. I had to read it again because I thought I'd forgotten the story - but I hadn't! It's one of those nice ones to revisit and appreciate again as an adult -- just to discover that what you liked about it when you were little is much the same as what you love now.
July 4, 2017
I was not a big fan of this old book. The pictures are all in color and the story didn't seem to sparkle. It's about a duck family trying to find a place to live in Boston. The neat thing about the book is you can learn some of the famous places in Boston where the ducks tried to live. There was a helpful policeman watching out for them. This won some awards and the story seems to have aged.
October 8, 2016
Wonderful illustrations by a master - lovely story.
March 7, 2019
McCloskey has been a favorite children's book author of mine since I was a child. I enjoyed reading it to my children, and will most definitely read all of his books to grandchildren someday.
August 13, 2019
This is exactly my kind of children's book.
And I'll be very sad if I don't get to feed peanuts to the ducks in Boston (assuming there are still ducks in Boston).
And I'll be very sad if I don't get to feed peanuts to the ducks in Boston (assuming there are still ducks in Boston).
July 22, 2021
Loved it 🦆
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,983 reviews