Kate Robards

Top image courtesy Penguin Young Readers Group, bottom image courtesy Andrea Shea.

“Many people know Make Way for Ducklings, but they might not know the lengths to which Robert McCloskey went to get the beloved Mallard family to look just right,” reports Books correspondent Lynn Neary.

Having already written much of the text, McCloskey was feeling stuck, explains his daughter, Sal McCloskey. (Sal’s all grown up now, but you may remember her from one of McCloskey’s other books, Blueberries for Sal.)

Itching to begin the illustrations, McCloskey went down to the Washington Square Market, bought a crate of ducks and brought them back to his Greenwich Village studio apartment. He washed the ducklings off in the bathtub, put them in a pan and got to work.

The resulting book — the story of the Mallard family’s search for a home in the wilds of Boston — celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. It charmed generations of readers and even inspired a statue in Boston’s Public Garden.

Find her full story (and some adorable pictures!) here.

$3.5 million/3 br

Joan Crawford in her New York City apartment kitchen, 1965

James Dean in his apartment in New York (top) and at his family’s farm in Indiana (bottom), photographed by Dennis Stock, 1955.

It can be hard to find that balance between a character that is too perfect for readers to love and a character that is too flawed for readers to relate to.

Something I like to remember when thinking of flaws to give characters is that very often, flaws can be positive attributes that are in excess.

(This is related to Aristotle’s Virtues and Doctrine of the Mean.)

FOR INSTANCE,

Courage is a positive trait.

But taken too far? That can lead to rashness, or recklessness, which are negative traits. And without enough courage? The character is meak, fearful and cowardly, which are also negative traits.

Here are some examples to think of for your characters of positive traits taken to the extremes.

Virtue- kindness

Excess-easily taken advantage of

Deficiency- selfishness

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Virtue- ambition

Excess- greed/avarice

Deficiency- lazy

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Virtue- honesty

Excess- harshness

Deficiency- secrecy/dishonesty

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Virue- decisiveness

Excess-impulsiveness

Deficiency-indecision

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Virtue- passionate

Excess- irritating

Deficiency- apathetic

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Virtue- strong leadership

Excess- over-controlling

Deficiency- indifferent/passive