Duck, Death and the Tulip

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Tan macabro que es dulce, tan curioso que es familiar, tan breve que es infinito, tan insólitamente brillante que es imprescindible. The illustrator portrays the story of an evolving relationship between death and a being who has a limited lifespan, the duck.

When Duck notices Death, a skeleton in a checked robe carrying a black tulip, following her she is frightened.German illustrator Wolf Erlbruch manages to infuse both the stench of death and the fragility of life into his simple, elegant drawings. Both poems, “Death of a Young Son by Drowning” by Margaret Atwood and “Because I could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson share a common subject of death. But as I read it under normal circumstances it really does give you the creeps and I would not recommend for very young children. Explaining the topic of death in a way that is honest, lightly philosophical and with gentle humour, this enchanting book has been translated into multiple languages, adapted into an animated movie and short film and performed on stages worldwide.

The book was nominated for the 2008 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis; the jury praised Erlbruch's "soft-philosophical Pas de deux" and his sparse illustrations: "the radical reduction of the images underlines the dramatic subject matter in a fulminant manner. The entire book feels incredibly peaceful and I think that is incredibly important when you inform a child about this natural process so you do not add unnecessary fear.The illustrations reinforce this, especially the tender and loving one of death carrying Duck to the great river – which, in itself, is a lovely metaphor for Death himself. This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size. I was reminded of the significance of all aspects of the visual design of a picture book since when I revisited these pages, I had more emotional feelings for Death as well as Duck. Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!