In November of 2018, a beautifully majestic Mandarin Duck was spotted in a Central Park pond. And New Yorkers went crazy.
Some went as far as to dub the beautiful creature “hot duck.” The duck was native to East Asia and had never been seen before in New York outside of the zoo, leaving animal experts confused as to how the little guy could have arrived in Central Park.
And now the favorite duck is the star of his own book!
None other than beloved songstress and actress Bette Midler herself used the rainbow duck to inspire a new colorful children’s book. The story, which will be a modern fable, “celebrates the connections people make with each other and the world around them.”
A book description on the Penguin Random House website reads, “How do you get people to appreciate what is right in front of them? In The Tale of the Mandarin Duck, it takes a mysterious, beautiful duck and a clear-eyed kid to point out the obvious! Bette Midler’s distinctive voice joins striking photos of the real duck by Michiko Kakutani and charming black-and-white drawings by Joana Avillez. This book will have readers of all ages coming back to visit the fantastical interpretation of New York City and its odd ducks—both feathered and human. “
It’s set to publish in Winter of 2021. We can’t wait!
In other news: You Can Still Check Out Over 300,000 Books From NYPL, Here’s How
featured image source: Manhattan Bird Alert via Twitter