CM Magazine: Mallard, Mallard, Moose.

________________ CM . . . . Volume XXIV Number 38. . . . June 1, 2018

cover
Mallard, Mallard, Moose.

Lori Doody.
Tors Cove, NL: Running the Goat, 2018.
44 pp., trade pbk., $12.95.
ISBN 978-1-927917-16-9.

Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 3-7.

Review by Courtney Crocker.

**** /4

excerpt:

One early morning, just as the sun rose over Signal Hill, a moose came to town.

He wasn’t lost. He wasn’t looking for food. He was trying to find a home for two mallard ducks who were following him everywhere he went.

The moose didn’t know why the ducks liked him; he definitely couldn’t be mistaken for their mother.

Mallard, Mallard, Moose is a silly story of a moose who comes to St. John’s, Newfoundland, in search of a home for two mallards. He visits the park downtown and even makes his way to a popular restaurant, Mallard Cottage, in Quidi Vidi to find a home for the ducks. In the end, the moose comes to a trail where he is greeted by a goose who wants to care for the ducks. It is then that the story of mallard, mallard, moose turns into mallard, mallard, goose!

Lori Doody was born in St. John’s and studied printmaking at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. She spent her career focusing on printmaking, particularly etching. Doody does a spectacular job illustrating this book, and it’s evident that she pays particular attention to detail. For example, on the front inside cover of the book, there is a pattern of two ducks and a moose, but, on the back inside cover, the pattern reflects the story’s ending and has two ducks and a goose. Whimsical row houses and storefronts can be found throughout the downtown area. While the city is bright, the weather is often bleak. St. John’s is no stranger to rain, drizzle and fog, and this dark ambiance came through in Doody’s illustrations.

Mallard, Mallard, Moose screams to be read aloud. It’s the perfect addition to any library or classroom collection that is building its Canadian literature. This book was published by the small publishing company, Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides, Inc. located in Tors Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador. It’s encouraging seeing a micro-press that focuses on handcrafting books. Mallard, Mallard, Moose is a gem you don’t want to miss.

Highly Recommended.

Courtney Crocker is the Regional Librarian for Central Division with Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries. She lives in Gander, NL.

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