Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons, written by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis. Millbrook Press, 2023. $26.99 ages 3 and up

 

"Duckling learns loon ways. 
Over and over, 
Mother and Father 
dive down, 
rise up
with 

        fish. 

Duckling snatches the 
tiny silver slivers. 
Mallards don't eat minnows
or take food from their parents ... 
but Duckling does."

The diary entries for this book show that on May 13 a cozy nest on a northern lake is home to two eggs. There are always threats to the safety of those eggs. One month later, eggshell pieces dot the nest; there are no chicks.  A pair of loons discover a lone chick swimming all alone. With all the love and longing they are feeling, they literally take it under their wings and give it a family.  

The adult loons take good care of the chick, not realizing it isn't a loon until it grows and changes. By the end of June, it is evident they are raising a mallard duckling. What an unlikely family they are! As the summer passes, the duckling learns all the behaviors of its foster parents. None of this is typical behavior; it seems not to matter at all to the three who have made this unconventional family. 

The exceptional digital illustrations are perfectly crafted to allow readers a very clear and close-up visit with these amazing birds. There are many sweet moments, including one where the full-grown duck rides peacefully on a parent's back. Much can be learned by paying careful attention to the setting, the duck's development, and the genuine care and concern the parents show as the duckling grows. The text itself is memorable, inspiring, and tells a well-documented tale of acceptance and what being a family means, no matter the circumstance. 

"The future is 
         a perfect mystery 
                  of possibilities, 

                                     like an unhatched egg. 

Mother and Father and Duckling 
               have only now: 
a family created 
        one dabble and dive, 
               one piggyback ride, 
                           one slippery minnow at a time."

Backmatter explains that the story is true, and based on observations made by researchers from The Loon Project in 2019. They speculated on what might have happened; no one knows. In early September that year all three birds were gone. Further to that, loon and mallard behaviors are compared, a selected bibliography is included, a list for further reading, and acknowledgements for aid given in telling the story are added.