The duck and the Darklings

Glenda Millard, illustrated by Stephen Michael King
Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 9781743312612           RRP: $24.99

Something has happened in the world and these are dark times. Grandpapa never mentions the bright olden days but his grandson’s stories of his ventures outside return a glimmer of remembering to his eyes. Then the boy encounters a duck outside with a broken wing; gradually Grandpa’s memories emerge into the light as he helps her to heal. Instinctively the duck must return to her wild but in the end, like the pigeon to the ark, she returns with friends and the hope of a renewed world. The text is lyrical - not at all dark, always uplifting. Randomly patterned shapes of black are gradually replaced by colourful abstract shapes as luminosity returns to the world. A deeply thoughtful book.