Sam and Rowen have befriended a nesting duck in the park. When Sam finds the nest abandoned, with a dog's tracks around it, he fears the worst. Carefully, he and Rowen carry the eight eggs to their apartment and put them on the basement boiler, where they hope they'll stay warm enough to hatch. The difficulty of turning the eggs several times a day without arousing the suspicions of cranky superintendent Mr. Hedges induces the boys to enlist every child in the building to help divert his attention. The kids also figure out ways to use enough hot water to keep the boiler--and the eggs--warm. Of course, when the ducklings hatch it turns out that Mr. Hedges has known about them all along. Eventually, the hatchlings are adopted by a mother duck in the park. Sam now recognizes the analogy between his own ability to love them from a distance and his father's constant love for him, even though he has divorced Sam's mother and moved away. Newly proficient readers will enjoy the light, pleasant story, its happy outcome, and Chambliss's nicely expressive b&w illustrations. (Fiction. 7-9)
