Little Dilly Duckling is dallying by the river when PUFF! the wind blows out one of her fluffy feathers! 'Stop that feather!' she cries, rushing after it. But the feather is floating further away. Will Dilly ever get it back?
I’ve been a writer for over 15 years now, but it wasn’t planned!
I had a variety of jobs, including secretary, trainee buyer at Harrods, dental nurse, production assistant in a reprographic and printing company and various others.
I began to write after joining a creative writing class. I had no success with article writing, or short stories, or fiction, but the first children’s story I wrote, for a magazine called Twinkle, was accepted for publication. Hooray!!!
Things snowballed and a lot (yes lots and lots) of hard work later I now write full time and have over 50 books published. I still go to the same writing class and we have become a big happy family of writers!
For me, writing is the best job ever. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I love to create worlds for young children to enjoy and escape into – whether the stories are educational, bedtime, problem solving or just plain good fun. It’s also very exciting to see the first picture roughs, as my wonderful, talented illustrators bring the text to life.
I live on the Essex coast in a lovely two-bed-roomed flat, which I share with my husband, Michael. At long last I have an office to write in, with room for all my books and bits of scribbled on papers.
The seafront is (still) just around the corner, and I find a bracing walk (it gets freezing when the East wind blows from the North Sea!) or gentle stroll when the weather is warmer, is great for clearing my head and mulling over story ideas.
Dilly Duckling gets distracted and his feather flews away and he goes chasing after it, separating from his family. Dilly meets a hedgehog and a mouse who try to help Dilly catch the feather but it is soon lost forever. Dilly gets very upset and is worried about what to tell his mother, but Mummy Duck says all downy feathers will fall out and then grown-up feathers will grow. He then find his feather anyway and is happy that he doesn't need it any more!
This story could be used to talk about how ducks grow and change. It is quite simplistic but the illustration is really effective, especially the touch-and-feel version that I read where Dilly and his feather were furry. This could also relate to children's teeth falling out which begins happening in Reception, where new grown-up teeth will grow.
Dilly Duckling, by Claire Freedman is about a young duckling who looses one of her feathers. She gets separated from her mother trying to get her feather. Along the way, two friends, Spike and Nibble, try to help her. But, they could not catch up to her feather. Crushed, Dilly says goodbye to her nice to friends to tell her mother about what happened. When she told her, her mother explained that all of her feathers were eventually going to fall out, and she was going to look just like her momma one day. Dilly was filled with excitement, and when she went down to the river to play, her feather floated up. She decided she didn't need it anymore, because she was going to grow a new one! The story of Dilly Duckling nicely illustrates multiple lessons for young readers. Most importantly, it teaches that growing up involves change. And sometimes loosing something isn't as big of a deal as you may have thought. It is a touch-and-read book, so Dilly and her feather are both fuzzy. The illustrations really depict Dilly trying to catch up to her feather. Also, you really picture Dilly growing feathers and looking like her mother one day. This is a quick, easy read, and is great for new and early readers!
Dilly duckling is out for a walk with his mommy and siblings, when suddenly a gust of wind blows away one of his feathers. He chases it and along the way he makes some new friends. Dilly is saddened when his feather floats high in the sky above. What will happen to Dilly now? Will he grow new feathers?
Dilly and Spike ran after the feather. “It's caught on a corn stalk!” squeaked Nibble. “I'll get it!” Nibble climbed the stalk, but the feather tickled her twitchy nose. “Achoo!” she sneezed. Off flew the feather...
Parents and children will love this short tale any time of the day. Bright cheery illustrations bring the characters to life. Parents can open up dialogue about the different colors, shapes and animals. The soft padded book with sturdy pages are just right for toddlers. Tiger Tales Books teach eye hand coordination, motor skills, language development and how to hold a book and turn its pages. Simple sentence structure with fun and easy to learn words will keep toddlers engaged.