One Duck

Author: Hazel Hutchins
Illustrator: Ruth Ohi
Annick Press, 1999
ISBN:  1-55037-560-1 (sc)
ISBN: 1-55037-561-X (hc)

Synopsis:

After scraping a hollow in the ground and lining it with grass, reeds and down from her breast, a female mallard lays between five and fifteen eggs. Only when the last one is laid does she begin to sit. For about twenty-eight days she warms and protects her charges, leaving only briefly to feed. The eggs hatch within hours of each other, and as soon as the chicks are dry, the mother leads them to water.

Canadian Book Review Annual:

“Lovely, swirling, earth-tone illustrations by veteran children’s illustrator, Ruth Ohi, are reminiscent of a Van Gogh wheat field….”