Dill & Bizzy: An Odd Duck and a Strange Bird

Dill the duck doesn’t think he’s anything special—not like Bizzy, who suddenly appears on the scene. She’s definitely sui generis, with a scarlet tail fan, quail-like plume on her head, wings like a chicken, a long striped neck, and a face like an ostrich. (She can also yodel.) “I am a strange bird!” she proclaims. Most stories would have Dill learn to let loose under Bizzy’s influence, but the more Dill hangs out with Bizzy, the more she and readers see that he is pretty offbeat too—his many talents include juggling peanuts and riding a unicycle. Yet, in what becomes the book’s refrain, he refuses to pick up on Bizzy’s hints that he is an odd duck, instead insisting that he is “perfectly ordinary.” The Ericsons, a sister act making their debut, introduce some intriguing ideas about self-perception and the way it influences how we carry ourselves in the world. While Dill never owns up to being an “odd duck,” children will be able to read between the lines and recognize that, deep down, we all have our oddities. Ages 4–8. [em]Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (Jan.) [/em]