A father and his two little girls brought back a big stack of library books this week and the father said, "Yes! You can tell her about the ducks." The family had been on a long trip to visit and care for the little girls' grandpa who was ill. The father explained that it had been a tough trip for his little girls, so he had wanted to make the trip home something special and exciting for them.
One of the books they had checked out and had been reading was Patricia Polacco's John Philip Duck, a tale set during the Great Depression that involves a little boy who trains ducks to march into the fancy hotel where his father works. He trained the ducks to march in on cue, get into the large fountain in the lobby, swim there all day, and march back out of the hotel in the evening!
The father said he had asked around for an interesting and fun place to take the little girls on their way home and someone recommended the opulent Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN, where they have ducks who march in, swim in a fountain, and march out. He said, "Wait a minute! We just read that book." He had no idea that the fictional story was based on a legend that had been carried out on the red caprets of the famous Peabody Hotel. They visited, and the little girls got to see what was once just a part of their imagination come to life before their eyes!
The Peabody Hotel has a Duck Master on staff who trains the ducks. They roll out the red carpet at 11 am for the ducks to march in and then again at 5 pm for them to march out. The little girls could not wait to tell the library about their experience! Our books are carried so many places and are returned to us with stories of their own.
