Hello, Mandarin Duck!

by Bao Phi, Dion MBD (Illustrator)

Overview

Twins Hue and Hoa are excited for the May Day parade! While waiting at the park for the parade to begin, they spot a little duck who seems new to the neighborhood—and looks confused by the crowd and commotion. How can the twins help the duck get to the pond? Many friends from the neighborhood stop to say hello and offer suggestions. Teamwork, collective brainstorming, and the duck’s own inspiration finally help it reach its new home—with an entire community welcoming it with a parade! A celebration of a vibrant, multicultural neighborhood that warmly welcomes newcomers from near and far, this story also encourages communal problem-solving and offers a gentle reminder of the deportation fears many children and families face.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684463398
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	02/01/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	540L (what's this?)
File size:	322 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Bao Phi was born in Vietnam and raised in the Phillips neighborhood of South Minneapolis.  He is an author, a poet, a community organizer, and a father.
Dion MBD, because Dionisius Mehaga Bangun Djayasaputra is way too long to remember, is an Indonesian illustrator/designer who lives and works between Brooklyn and Bandung. Dion received his Illustration BFA from Ringling College of Art Design in Florida where he grew his fascinations with clouds. In his down time, Dion is either cooking, listening to John Mayer, or cloud watching.

Interviews

Bao Phi’s debut picture book, A Different Pond, won many awards, including a Caldecott Honor, an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, a Charlotte Zolotow Award, Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor, and others. His subsequent release, My Footprints, also earned many accolades and rave reviews;

Editorial Reviews

This is a fun book about a Mandarin duck who flies to a new place and seems to be lost. At first, the duck waddles around not knowing where it is going. Kids admire the duck as it shuffles along the sidewalk. The children in the neighborhood are curious about this colorful duck. How did it get here? Where will it end up? With the help of youngsters, the duck finds a new home at a nearby pond. They all call to the duck and since the neighborhood has people from many different countries and places in the United States, they share the many languages they know welcoming the duck to the neighborhood. The book is about accepting new creatures to the community and the warmth that comes with that acceptance. It’s a fantastic story about linguistic diversity and finding one’s place in a community. The illustrations show the excitement of the children as they talk with and follow the duck. The artist shows many people, young and old, from the diverse neighborhood. The artist also has drawn a beautiful and colorful Mandarin duck. They all call out hello to the duck in their home languages such as: “Hag mitákuyept” (hon me TALK—oo-yay pee), which means “Hello” in Dakota; “Soo dhawoow” (so d uh-whoa) means “Welcome” in Somali; “Suasdey” (sua-sdei) means “Hello” in Cambodian; “Sawasdi” (sa-wah-DEE) means “Hello” in Thai; “Shalom” (sha-LOW-m) means “Peace” in Hebrew;” “Anyounghaseyo” (ahn-nyeong-haha-she-yo) means “Hello” in Korean; and many more greetings.

International Examiner - Valerie Ooka Pang

On their way to the May Day parade, children come across a strange and colorful duck. What is it? Where did it come from? Hoa and Hue enlist the help of friends as they try to get the duck to the pond, its new home. But suddenly they are surrounded by people — they're in the middle of the parade! In his third children's book, Minneapolis poet Bao Phi writes about teamwork, collaboration and acceptance as neighbors welcome and protect the new and strange duck. Illustrations by MBD (an abbreviation for a name, the artist notes, that "does not even fit on the first page of his passport") show joy, diversity and — as a police car rolls through — apprehension. A glossary translates the many languages quoted in this wise book. heed.

Star Tribune - Laurie Hertzel

2020-12-15
A lost mandarin duck is welcomed to the neighborhood as its residents celebrate culture and community on May Day.

On their way to attend the May Day Parade, Hoa and Hue discover a lost mandarin duck in the park. As they try to lead it to the pond they encounter many of their friends, who greet the duck in different languages. From the unfazed faces of the characters to the consistent typeface, color, and font, these multilingual introductions are presented with a sense of normalcy and affirmation. Hoa and Hue greet the duck speaking Vietnamese, and their friends variously offer greetings in Dakota, Tamil, Somali, Cambodian, and Russian, among others. The bright and cheery cartoon illustrations capture the exuberance and vibrant energy surrounding the day’s events. Background images incorporate the social activism associated with the real-life parade in Minneapolis on which the book’s event is based. Readers will spot signs emblazoned “Black Lives Matter,” “Say No to Homophobia,” and “No DAPL” (referring to the Dakota Access Pipeline) as well as a banner saying “End Deportation.” A brief scene acknowledges the fear and uncertainty caused by a surprise appearance from the police. Hoa and Hue are cued as Vietnamese, and the rest of the characters are depicted in a variety of skin tones and hair colors.

A joyous and inclusive primer on how communities can unite to welcome newcomers. (author's note, glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews