The Boy and the Duck

Oliver visits Green Meadow Farm Sanctuary in his red shirt, blue overalls and yellow rubber boots, ready to spend a day with the ducks. At the gate, Farmer May greets him and shares a simple lesson: animals need clean water, safe shelter and friendship. Their walk takes them past the barn and garden to the duck pond, where Oliver sees that the water is murky and dotted with old leaves. There he meets Pickles, a small speckled duck with a bright orange beak and a thin blue ribbon around her neck, who decides to follow him everywhere.

With a net and a bucket, Oliver wades into the shallow edge of the pond and clears leaves and twigs while Pickles swims around his boots. After sandwiches and lemonade on the grassy bank, Farmer May shows him the wooden duck house that keeps the flock safe from foxes, and Oliver helps mend the little fence around it. This gentle tale by Jane MEADOW is written for young children and early readers, and it can be read on Kids Tale Book.