Close Modal
Wish List 0 Wish List 0
Download high-resolution image Look inside

The Tale of the Mandarin Duck

A Modern Fable

Author Bette Midler
Afterword by Michiko Kakutani
Photographs by Michiko Kakutani
Look inside
Hardcover
$18.99 US
RH Childrens Books | Random House Books for Young Readers
10.31"W x 10.31"H x 0.34"D   | 16 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Feb 16, 2021 | 40 Pages | 978-0-593-17676-4
Age 3-7 years | Preschool - 2
Reading Level: Lexile AD640L | Fountas & Pinnell N
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Inspired by the real-life rainbow-colored Mandarin Duck who appeared in New York’s Central Park in 2018, this modern fable by Bette Midler celebrates the connections people make with each other and the world around them. 
 
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. 
 
An afterword by Ms. Kakutani adds details to the facts behind this one-of-a-kind story of the Mandarin Duck.
  • LONGLIST | 2022
    Green Earth Book Award
“Midler has crafted a loving ode to the people of New York…. A celebration of beauty—in a city, in its people, and in an extraordinary avian visitor.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This story is rooted in reality yet slyly surreal…. There is a crackling creative synergy among the book’s collaborators, each of whom contributes bountifully to the storytelling.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review
Bette Midler is an American actress, singer, and comedienne. She remembers the time before cell phones. Visit her on Twitter and Instagram.
 
Michiko Kakutani is a Pulitzer Prize–winning literary critic and the former chief book critic of The New York Times. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Death of Truth.
 
Joana Avillez is an illustrator from New York City, where she still lives and works. Her clients include Apartamento, Gucci, Hermès, the Museum of Modern Art, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Paris Review, Penguin Random House, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Vogue, Zeit Magazine, and more.
Bette Midler View titles by Bette Midler
Classroom Activities for The Tale of the Mandarin Duck

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Read More

About

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Inspired by the real-life rainbow-colored Mandarin Duck who appeared in New York’s Central Park in 2018, this modern fable by Bette Midler celebrates the connections people make with each other and the world around them. 
 
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. 
 
An afterword by Ms. Kakutani adds details to the facts behind this one-of-a-kind story of the Mandarin Duck.

Awards

  • LONGLIST | 2022
    Green Earth Book Award

Praise

“Midler has crafted a loving ode to the people of New York…. A celebration of beauty—in a city, in its people, and in an extraordinary avian visitor.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This story is rooted in reality yet slyly surreal…. There is a crackling creative synergy among the book’s collaborators, each of whom contributes bountifully to the storytelling.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

Author

Bette Midler is an American actress, singer, and comedienne. She remembers the time before cell phones. Visit her on Twitter and Instagram.
 
Michiko Kakutani is a Pulitzer Prize–winning literary critic and the former chief book critic of The New York Times. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Death of Truth.
 
Joana Avillez is an illustrator from New York City, where she still lives and works. Her clients include Apartamento, Gucci, Hermès, the Museum of Modern Art, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Paris Review, Penguin Random House, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Vogue, Zeit Magazine, and more.
Bette Midler View titles by Bette Midler

Additional Materials

Classroom Activities for The Tale of the Mandarin Duck

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Read More

Contact Specialty Retail

Contact Customer Service

© 2024 Penguin Random House

Penguin Random House

Legal

Back to Top
0
    • 0
    Wish List (0)