Make Way for Ducklings is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey. First published in 1941, the book tells the story of a pair of mallard ducks who decide to raise their family on an island in the lagoon in Boston Public Garden, a park in the center of Boston, Massachusetts. Make Way for Ducklings won the 1942 Caldecott Medal for McCloskey's illustrations, executed in charcoal then lithographed on zinc plates. As of 2003, the book had sold over two million copies. The book's popularity led to the construction of a statue in the Public Garden of the mother duck and her eight ducklings, which is a popular destination for children and adults alike. Praise for the book is still high over 60 years since its first publication, mainly for the enhancing illustrations and effective pacing. It was criticised for having a loose plot, however, as well as poor characterization. The book is extremely popular worldwide.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1689: The Convention Parliament was convened to determine if James II, the last Roman Catholic king of England, had vacated the throne when he fled to France in 1688. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_England)
1733: Georgia Day: James Oglethorpe founded the city of Savannah along with the Province of Georgia, a penal colony for the resettlement of people in debtor's prison in the United Kingdom. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah%2C_Georgia)
1818: Led by General Bernardo O'Higgins, Chile formally proclaimed its independence from Spain. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile)
1912: Xinhai Revolution: Puyi, the last Emperor of China, abdicated under a deal brokered by Yuan Shikai, ending the Manchu Qing Dynasty. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puyi)
2001: NEAR Shoemaker touched down on Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEAR_Shoemaker)
_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:
We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. -- Abraham Lincoln (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln)