Once Upon a Time a little girl (me) liked the character called, The Fonz. She sat on the couch, in her pink party dress, thumbs up, with one of her uncles sitting next to her (only common feature was the thumb gesture, though since she came from a good looking family, both of them were very attractive). Fly forward and that little girl is now a big girl (still me) and while I do not put thumbs up anymore, I do read a book or two by the man behind the original icon, Henry Winkler (and me and that uncle are still attractive people). Along with Lin Oliver, their newest (due mid-October 2023) creation to read is Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash (Detective Duck #1)
This is a cute story about a small duck with some big dreams, and how one duck alone cannot change the world, but with a little help from her friends, and dad, she can do great things. The themes of friendship, self-esteem and self-confidence, working hard, and environmentalism come together. This is funny and goofy. The duck, Willow Feathers McBeaver (her dad, Beaver McBeaver, named her that) also represents the theme of adoption, diversity, and lives in a pond in New England, near a campground.
Read as a physical reader copy, I am curious about the final products illustrations by Dan Santat. The book has them as black and white, though there are hints to there being some possible color. Things are Santat style, but also not completely obvious they are his. They are quirky and give a break to the text with their highlights of that section of the story. I might not put this book on my Top 10 Favorite Books of 2023, but ages (read to) five to 10-(young)-11, will enjoy it.
