Make Way for Ducklings in THE PIT

I've been trying to work in some classic picture books this year in THE PIT. I found through my discussions with the kids about Caldecott books that they aren't familiar with some of my favorites. I haven't done nearly as well with this as I had originally intended but I still have half a year to go.

Last week I introduced one of my all time favorites, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. I'm sure all of you are familiar with the story of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard making their way to Boston, one of my favorite cities, looking for a place free of foxes and turtles to raise their family. They settle on one of the islands in the Charles River in view of the "Salt and Pepper" bridge where the eggs are hatched and Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack join the family.

I find it a little funny that at this point in the story, Mr. Mallard decides he needs a little time away and goes exploring further up the river promising to meet the family back in Boston Public Garden. I think maybe it's a duck version of a business trip.

When Mrs. Mallard leads the ducklings back to the garden, I'm able to point out sites in Boston that I pass every summer with my student groups. The kids all ask questions about the places and if the story is true, especially when I point out where the duck statues are right inside the gate of the public garden.

Even though this book is 69 years old, it still works today. It just goes to show that when a book is good, it's good no matter when it was written.
I haven't tried one of these in a while so I was glad to see I still remembered the steps to making a book mosaic!