Last week a friend from college whom I had not seen for quite some time stopped in for an overnight visit. We stayed up late into the night chatting and chuckling. The next morning when he headed back home to Detroit, my chuckling continued not just because I had had such a great time but also because my friend is such an incongruous character.
A long haired lawyer, this friend is a graceful klutz, a shy motormouth, a brilliant dispenser of words and wisdom that never manages to follow any of his own good advice. He is, one might say, an odd duck. Yet as he drove away and these notions ran through my head, an all together different thought quickly crossed my consciousness. Perhaps my friend might see me the same way I wondered. This idea did not come out of nowhere though. Indeed, it was the happy byproduct of just a few days previous reading of Cecil Castellucci and Sara Varon's delightful and quirky children's creation "Odd Duck."
Part children's picture book, part graphic novel, part early chapter reader, "Odd Duck" is a wonderfully quirky creation that examines the life of Theadora who is literally, an odd duck. Refusing to fly north in the winter, Theadora frequently swims with a teacup balanced on her head to maintain posture in addition to being a reader of old books and a lover of mango salsa. Theadora though, finds nothing strange about these or any other of her habits. However, this perfectly "normal" life is interrupted when Chad moves in next door.
Chad likes to dye his feathers, has no manners, exercises erratically, and fills his yard with strange music and art. At first appalled, Theadora and Chad slowly but surely become good friends until one day when a passerby calls one of them an odd duck. Both Chad and Theadora naturally think the insult was aimed at the other leading first to a fight before eventually, the understanding that being friends and odd ducks is just what makes them happy.
"Odd Duck" won't though, just leave Theadora and Chad happy. Simple and sincere text paired with warm illustrations chock full of their own odd and delightful details will keep children of all ages entertained while also teaching them the value of friendship and being your own person. All told, this is a charmingly peculiar tale.
