Lemon the Duck

Lemon the Duck

Author:Laura Backman 
Illustrator: Lawernce Cleyet-Merle

Themes: Acceptance, Team work, Compassion, Accepting Differences
Genre:Nonfiction

Age: Kindergarten -2nd grade

Summary: This book is based on a true story of a classroom project. Ms. Lake's classroom was hatching four duck eggs. After the ducks all hatch, the students soon realize that the duck they had named Lemon is not able to walk on his own. They worry that Lemon will not be able to go on as a duck and look for a solution to help Lemon. In trying to help Lemon to stand, the class finds an old doggie life vest and strap Lemon into it and find that she can stand if the students hold onto the handle on the back of the jacket. In this story the students learn to accept Lemon for her difference and learn that she is no less special due to her disability.

I like this book in that it uses animals, instead of people, to show how someone can be different or have a disability, but that despite this disability this does not mean that they are not able to do normal things, just that with some things that they might need a little more help than others need.

Pre-Reading Activity:This would be a great book to use if hatching eggs, whether chicken or duck eggs, in your classroom. After the eggs have hatched you can have students look and write down any differences that they notice between all of the eggs, whether they hatched or not. You can then ask them whether or not that they think that due to the differences between the animals, whether they think that the other ones will accept them or not.

Post-Reading Activity: After reading this book you can ask students to try and relate this book to people. How do they think that this book relates to people and how could they use this book to teach others to accept people despite their differences. Have the students write a few paragraphs about how their experiences have taught them how to accept people despite their differences. 

About the Author: This story is actually written about Laura’s experience as a teacher and what happened in her classroom.  Her story, Lemon the Duck, is dedicated to her father who passed away from Multiple Sclerosis

Backman, L. (2009). Lemon The Duck. Lobster Press.Grade 2