In an interview on Being a Mother

Let’s move on to a lighter book, and an illustrated one, the award-winning children’s classic, Make Way for Ducklings. Tell us the story.

Mrs Mallard is a mother duck and Mr Mallard is a father duck, and they have a brood of little ducklings. Much of the story involves their search for a place to roost and raise their babies. They end up in the Boston Public Garden.

Mrs Mallard is my mothering role model. She’s proud, she’s strong and she’s completely devoted to her ducklings. She assumes that her ducklings are capable of anything. She teaches her ducklings strength and dignity, by example. All of this comes across through the beautiful illustrations. Particularly the drawings of Mrs Mallard marching her brood through Boston with her head held up high. I’ve always loved this book. I used to read it over and over again to my daughters.

The Mallard couple work like many marriages I know. The mother teaches the children to swim, waddle and safely cross a road while the father takes a week’s vacation. Does this story remind you of your partnership?

I’m not endorsing it as a how-to guide for working mothers. It’s really just that little slice about her relationship with her children that I like. That’s all. I just feel like she has a really lovely, healthy bond with her ducklings.