Waddell, Martin. Farmer Duck. Illustrated by Martin Waddell. Candlewick, 1991.

Some people take their picture books way too seriously. I thought this story of a lazy farmer and his rebellious animals was a great read. A bare-chested farmer sits in bed and eats chocolates while the duck does all the farm work. The only dialog in the book is the farmer asking the duck, “How goes the work?” The duck replies, “Quack.” Finally, the duck is so exhausted and discouraged that the other farm animals take pity on him and come up with a plan to relieve his misery by taking over the farm.

Yes, it’s Orwell’s Animal Farm, without the nasty, autocratic pigs. Yes, the ending has the animals working happily together to run the farm. Yes, the farmer is forced to run away, barefoot and still bare-chested, never to return. Yes, it’s a socialist animal-run utopian dream. But I just don’t believe any child (or adult) will become a good little communist after reading this book. However, some of the reviewers on Amazon certainly found the book to be subversive. “Communistic.” “Scary and violent.” “Propaganda book.”

On the other hand, the jacket blurb calls the story “a fable.” If it is a fable, perhaps it IS teaching a lesson. But I don’t believe it’s a communist lesson. Maybe it’s just a lesson about laziness and how eventually the worker duck will get fed up and worn out if he has to do all of the work. Maybe it’s a lesson about helping and working together and “the one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (I Thessalonians 3:10). Or maybe it’s just a funny story with a happy ending and great illustrations.

Author Martin Waddell received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2004. Helen Oxenbury has won the annual Kate Greenaway Medal, the British librarians’ award for illustration, twice and been runner-up four times. So the team has a reputation. As far as illustrations go, the duck’s expressive face, “sleepy, weepy, and tired” all at the same time, was particularly well done, and I loved the story.