Heather Austin – författare

With pencil illustrations and a storyline about the protection of ducklings, Boatyard Ducklings is bound to call to mind Robert McCloskey's classic Make Way for Ducklings. Far from being imitative, however, this tale of a little girl's love and care for young creatures has a magic all its own. Here author and illustrator Heather Austin memorably tells and beautifully pictures a true story about the young daughter of a Maine boatyard owner. When the girl discovers a mallard hen's nest in a dinghy, she is filled with delight. The girl befriends the duck and, when the young ones hatch, she becomes their protector.

Why does everyone keep telling Lily that many hands make the basket? Didn't she make the basket with her very own hands? It is the most beautiful basket of her 10-year-old life and no one will give her the credit she deserves. In the end, she learns a valuable lesson about pride and the spirit of community. Into the story is woven the process of basket making and a Wabanaki animal legend, as well as some words of the Penobscot language.