Actress Bette Midler is writing a children’s book about a very fancy duck, with an assist from book critic Michiko Kakutani.
Random House Books for Young Readers will publish The Tale of the Mandarin Duck next year, the Associated Press reports. The book is based on a real duck that captured the imagination of New Yorkers in 2018 when it appeared in Central Park and was variously known as “the hot duck” and “Mandarin Patinkin.”
Midler said the inspiration for the book came from Kakutani’s pictures of the duck, which will be included in the book.
“It came to me practically overnight: the duck that had enchanted an entire city,” she said. “The real duck’s visit to New York was a cause for celebration; everyone who saw him fell instantly in love. I wanted to memorialize his visit, and let readers know that the natural world is full of creatures just like him, if we only take the time to raise our eyes and actually see them.”
Random House says that the book, which also features illustrations by Joana Avillez, “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.”
The Tale of the Mandarin Duck is slated for publication on Feb. 16, 2021.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
