Davy's Ducks

Davy’s Ducks Dorothy Butler, Lyn Kriegler, Reed, 24 pages, pb, $19.99
ISBN 1-86948-403-7

Davy’s Ducks is a charming story, set in Edwardian Waihi, just as the first tar-sealed roads were reaching into the countryside. Davy’s task is to care for the family’s Muscovy ducks and keep them away from the farmhouse but he is captivated by the workmen and their machinery, especially the massive steamroller. One night he discovers that the ducks have strayed onto a freshly tarred section of road and are all stuck! The family wrap the ducks in bits of cloth to keep them warm overnight. Lanterns keep them from being run over. Next day, in the warm morning sun, they free the ducks and clean them. Davy is surprised to find that his problem of straying ducks has been solved. Dorothy Butler’s richly detailed retelling of a favourite family story is matched by Lyn Kriegler’s handsome colour illustrations.

Trevor Agnew

This review appeared in The Press, Christchurch, on 27 January 2007.