calistareads's review against another edition
4.0
This is a retelling of the Ugly Duckling as you can guess. Our protag doesn’t fit in with the rest of his social group. His dad rejects him and his classmates bully him. He is smart and solid in himself and he stands his ground. He doesn’t let others make him unproud of who he is.
He starts his own warm home that he is able to live in during the winter and no duck thought that was possible. As the other ducks are ready to fly south for the winter, his papa is wounded by hunters. The ending is pretty cool. There are few books out there about this kind of thing and it’s nice to see. It’s a good story. Our library didn’t have this and I had to get it ILL. That’s a small problem with Goodreads. It’s easy to see a book you want to read, which I saw this in someones feed and I said I wanted to read it. It took some doing to actually get the book. I guess that’s some of the fun is actually finding the book you want to read and it’s also a lesson to be careful what you ‘want to read’ on Goodreads.
The nephew thought the sissy duckling was humorous. He got some chuckles out of him. I know he has peer pressure at school and I know he loves his big sister and does things she likes to do. They play Barbies together at times and stuff and so that thought doesn’t bother him as much. He still thought the story was a little boring. He thought when the ducks were being shot at was exciting, but mostly not much happens in his head. He gave this 2 stars.
He starts his own warm home that he is able to live in during the winter and no duck thought that was possible. As the other ducks are ready to fly south for the winter, his papa is wounded by hunters. The ending is pretty cool. There are few books out there about this kind of thing and it’s nice to see. It’s a good story. Our library didn’t have this and I had to get it ILL. That’s a small problem with Goodreads. It’s easy to see a book you want to read, which I saw this in someones feed and I said I wanted to read it. It took some doing to actually get the book. I guess that’s some of the fun is actually finding the book you want to read and it’s also a lesson to be careful what you ‘want to read’ on Goodreads.
The nephew thought the sissy duckling was humorous. He got some chuckles out of him. I know he has peer pressure at school and I know he loves his big sister and does things she likes to do. They play Barbies together at times and stuff and so that thought doesn’t bother him as much. He still thought the story was a little boring. He thought when the ducks were being shot at was exciting, but mostly not much happens in his head. He gave this 2 stars.
devrose's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book for my Multicultural Resources for Diverse Communities class.
Fierstein, H. (2002). The sissy duckling. Cole, H. (Illus.) New York: Simon & Schuster.
Hardcover | $17.99 | ISBN-13: 978-0-689-83466-7 | 40 unnumbered pages | Grades P-3 (“The Sissy Duckling”) - Fiction
What is a young boy—er, duck—to do when he’s different to the core, and the only person who seems to value him is his mother? Stay true to himself and prove his worth to the world, according to Harvey Fierstein.
A Lambda Literary Award finalist (Naidoo, p. 106) based on an HBO animated special of the same name (“The Sissy Duckling”), The Sissy Duckling is a picture book which tells the story of a duckling named Elmer who isn’t like any of the other boy ducklings in his flock. He is happy building things and decorating cookies, not building forts or playing sports. Elmer’s classmates ridicule him and when his father declares that he is “no son of mine,” Elmer runs off to live on his own, using his skills to build his own home. After Elmer’s father is shot while trying to fly south for the winter, Elmer nurses his father back to health and the two ducks bond over the long months. When the other ducks return, Elmer and his father reemerge and the flock sees Elmer’s heroism and accepts him despite his differences.
The Sissy Duckling brings up several social issues. One of these issues is bullying, as Elmer is taunted by his classmates and in one scene he has to run from the school bully who is threatening to beat him up. Tied into this is the issue of individuality, since it is Elmer’s differences that cause the bullying. Notably, Elmer does not give in to the bullying or his father’s pressure to fit in; instead, he stays true to himself and what makes him happy.
The Sissy Duckling is an excellent pick for public libraries and school alike. When read at story time, The Sissy Duckling can foster discussion about bullying, tolerance, and individuality. Children who do not fit the gender norms will enjoy finding themselves reflected in Elmer, while other children will learn about difference in a positive way. This book will be particularly helpful for children whose parents don’t accept their personalities and try to change them, as it will give hope that someday their parents will change their minds.
Naidoo, J. C. (2012). Rainbow family collections: Selecting and using children’s books with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer content. Santa Barbara: Libraries Unlimited.
(n.d.) The sissy duckling. Simon & Schuster. Retrieved from http://books.simonandschuster.com/Sissy-Duckling/Harvey-Fierstein/9780689835667
Fierstein, H. (2002). The sissy duckling. Cole, H. (Illus.) New York: Simon & Schuster.
Hardcover | $17.99 | ISBN-13: 978-0-689-83466-7 | 40 unnumbered pages | Grades P-3 (“The Sissy Duckling”) - Fiction
What is a young boy—er, duck—to do when he’s different to the core, and the only person who seems to value him is his mother? Stay true to himself and prove his worth to the world, according to Harvey Fierstein.
A Lambda Literary Award finalist (Naidoo, p. 106) based on an HBO animated special of the same name (“The Sissy Duckling”), The Sissy Duckling is a picture book which tells the story of a duckling named Elmer who isn’t like any of the other boy ducklings in his flock. He is happy building things and decorating cookies, not building forts or playing sports. Elmer’s classmates ridicule him and when his father declares that he is “no son of mine,” Elmer runs off to live on his own, using his skills to build his own home. After Elmer’s father is shot while trying to fly south for the winter, Elmer nurses his father back to health and the two ducks bond over the long months. When the other ducks return, Elmer and his father reemerge and the flock sees Elmer’s heroism and accepts him despite his differences.
The Sissy Duckling brings up several social issues. One of these issues is bullying, as Elmer is taunted by his classmates and in one scene he has to run from the school bully who is threatening to beat him up. Tied into this is the issue of individuality, since it is Elmer’s differences that cause the bullying. Notably, Elmer does not give in to the bullying or his father’s pressure to fit in; instead, he stays true to himself and what makes him happy.
The Sissy Duckling is an excellent pick for public libraries and school alike. When read at story time, The Sissy Duckling can foster discussion about bullying, tolerance, and individuality. Children who do not fit the gender norms will enjoy finding themselves reflected in Elmer, while other children will learn about difference in a positive way. This book will be particularly helpful for children whose parents don’t accept their personalities and try to change them, as it will give hope that someday their parents will change their minds.
Naidoo, J. C. (2012). Rainbow family collections: Selecting and using children’s books with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer content. Santa Barbara: Libraries Unlimited.
(n.d.) The sissy duckling. Simon & Schuster. Retrieved from http://books.simonandschuster.com/Sissy-Duckling/Harvey-Fierstein/9780689835667
nathanbartos17's review against another edition
3.0
This picture book was a lot, and it relied on a lot of stereotypes to show that the "sissy duckling" is queer.
lgbtq rep: gay(?) duckling
lgbtq rep: gay(?) duckling
kitm's review against another edition
4.0
I see a lot of tomboys in children's literature....finally a tomgirl!
mistyfoot19's review against another edition
4.0
A great book to learn that: you can be different, and that's okay! And to help kids learn to embrace the things that make them different. Its not necessarily for very little kids; the older ducklings bully Elmer pretty severely, and even his dad joins in the bullying. That's not to mention
Spoiler
his dad's encounter with the huntersSpoiler
. Overall a great little book to read, with positive, but more subtle, LGBTQ+ messages.candycain's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mmattmiller's review
2.0
Torn on this one. On one hand, I like that it depicts a realistic character, one kids will relate to. The bullying is also realistic. While I hate to teach students a new word to call each other, and I don't love the word/stereotypes associated with the word "sissy", again, it's realistic, and something students will have to learn about. All of that bullying is well portrayed in the book, and fine.
I don't love the level of bullying from the dad. Granted, for some kids, that might be a reality, but for what I am teaching in school, or what I am trying to address, I am happy to target the school aspects, but the home part is harder to talk through. I guess I shouldn't shy away from it just for that reason, but some pretty harsh things come from the dad. Then, it's not that the dad has a big revelation... the son basically has to earn his way into his dad's heart. And even when doing so, he is criticized. Again, while that may be a reality for some children, that's a different level/different story than the school and peer bullying.
I also feel the hunting part is a bit morbid, and I have no doubt that my students would point out that if the Dad was shot, the son caring for him with relaxation and some homemade food would not cure his gunshot wound.
I love where this book started, and the message I could teach with it, but then it goes beyond what I would/could use. I am considering teaching with the start of the book, and then letting kids write their own ending. We could then hit on the topic and issues, and "forget" to read the end.
I don't love the level of bullying from the dad. Granted, for some kids, that might be a reality, but for what I am teaching in school, or what I am trying to address, I am happy to target the school aspects, but the home part is harder to talk through. I guess I shouldn't shy away from it just for that reason, but some pretty harsh things come from the dad. Then, it's not that the dad has a big revelation... the son basically has to earn his way into his dad's heart. And even when doing so, he is criticized. Again, while that may be a reality for some children, that's a different level/different story than the school and peer bullying.
I also feel the hunting part is a bit morbid, and I have no doubt that my students would point out that if the Dad was shot, the son caring for him with relaxation and some homemade food would not cure his gunshot wound.
I love where this book started, and the message I could teach with it, but then it goes beyond what I would/could use. I am considering teaching with the start of the book, and then letting kids write their own ending. We could then hit on the topic and issues, and "forget" to read the end.
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