Entries dated May 13 through August 3 tell the story of a loon pair on a Wisconsin lake who raise an orphaned mallard duckling after their own chicks disappear (“Snatched / by snapping turtle or northern pike, / lurking below the water’s surface? / Nobody knows”). The two species are natural rivals, and their behaviors are not particularly similar, but Duckling “learns loon ways” (diving for food) and eats loon prey (minnows); she rides on the back of the male loon like a loon chick would (even until she is so large that the loon floats comically low in the water). But Duckling retains mallard behaviors and eats mallard food, too. She doesn’t know that she should hide when a strange loon appears and challenges the adult loons for their territory, and she doesn’t always stick close to the adults like a loon chick would. By the time Duckling is full grown, it’s time to fly south, separately (like both loons and mallards do). A text both factual and poetic presents the story of this atypical occurrence while acknowledging that there are many unanswered questions about why these three birds formed an “unlikely family” and what their future behaviors will look like. Back matter includes more information about the research centered on this family grouping observed in 2019, and a Venn diagram that further illustrates the differences between loons and mallards. (Ages 3-7)

"Discover the true story of an unlikely family -- an orphaned mallard duckling raised by a pair of loons. Lyrical verse and evocative illustrations combine in this heartwarming tale of animal cooperation"--