Gertie, The Darling Duck of WWII

by Shari Swanson, Renée Graef (Illustrator)

Overview

One April morning in 1945, when the world was weary of war...

In 1945, the attention of the United States, along with the rest of the world, was focused on World War II. After more than five years of fighting, downcast, war-weary people were looking for signs of hope of a better future. One April morning, a duck searching for a nesting spot lands on a tall post sticking out of the Milwaukee River. Situated near a busy drawbridge and the noisy city of Milwaukee, this was an unlikely, precarious spot for a soon-to-be-mama duck to build her nest. But that is exactly where Gertie (named by a local reporter) decides to make her home and lay her eggs. Once local newspapers report the story, crowds begin visiting the bridge to watch Gertie and speculate how she will safely hatch her babies. Soon, news outlets around the world are carrying the hopeful tale of the plucky duck, raising spirits, and giving readers a shared sense of community.

Backmatter includes photographs and historical information.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534111714
Publisher:	Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date:	03/15/2023
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	930L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Shari Swanson is the author of Honey, The Dog Who Saved Abe Lincoln, winner of the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (2022), a Junior Library Guild selection, and a Best Book of the Year by Bank Street College of Education (2021 Edition). She lives in Southern California, nestled among mountains and canyons, with her husband, Todd, and their dog and cat, Honey and Marie. Shari has a BA in English Literature from UCLA, a JD in Law from USC, and Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Shari has been an appellate lawyer and a middle school language arts teacher. She loves the mountains, animals, and games of all sorts. Learn more about her at ShariSwanson.com.

Renée Graef and her children spent many of her birthdays walking the 990-foot breakwater to reach the Port Washington Lighthouse. She has illustrated over 80 books for children including T is for Time; D is for Dala Horse: A Nordic Countries Alphabet; the “Kirsten” books in the American Girl Collection; and many of the My First Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Renée splits her time between Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Los Angeles, California. Learn more about her work at www.reneegraef.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2023

K-Gr 4—A true story of a city, World War II, and a duck family that created a moment of community and hope in dark times. In April, 1945, a duck nested on a piling high above the Milwaukee River. Her precarious perch was close enough to a bridge that it caught the attention of people passing nearby. Soon the duck was named Gertie, and newspaper reporters, searching for something hopeful in the midst of dark times, created a media sensation out of Gertie and her eggs that were laid high above the river. When the eggs hatched, the crowds and the media attention grew, and Gertie's story spread around the world to American soldiers far from home. Harrowing moments are captured in the text, and nostalgic illustrations with a sepia-toned quality create endearing characters out of the ducks and the people who worked hard to keep their hopeful story alive. Gertie's tale ends happily; back matter expands on the tale as well as the role of children and the home front during WWII. VERDICT A delightful historical tale that will encourage young people to find similar "good news" stories in their world today. Recommended.—John Scott

School Library Journal

2022-11-16
War-worried Midwesterners rally round an imperiled fowl family.

By choosing to nest in an exceptionally risky public spot—far above the dirty Milwaukee River—darling Gertie offers a perfect distraction to humans in the last anxious days of World War II. Protective heroes—bridge tenders who rescue the mallard and her six cute ducklings in bad weather—ensure a happy ending: After a brief period on display in a department-store window, Gertie and her family are released into a nearby park. From the first high duck’s-eye view, we are drawn into her story through careful, sepia-toned illustrations that seem lifted out of an old scrapbook. Everyone dresses soberly; quotes from people are sourced. An occasional brown face can be seen in the crowds, but most are light-skinned. Varied perspectives, including close-ups of Gertie, atmospheric changing weather, and rich background details, pique interest. Strong backmatter, with archival photos, provides historical background, focusing first on the role of women and children in the war effort and then on the extraordinary efforts of Milwaukee officials and residents to save and celebrate Gertie and her offspring. Like Robert McCloskey’s Make Way for Ducklings (1941), this is a nonanthropomorphized animal story featuring caring humans. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Gertie’s heartwarming tale delights and distracts today as it did in 1945. (Informational picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews