Dim's Write Stuff

Of all the years I reviewed Kids' Lit for Boomerang Books, occasionally a gem was unearthed. A gem that shone so fiercely I barely knew how to describe its beauty. Here is one of those enigmatic gems whose sparkle continues to dazzle. From beneath a mountain of brightly coloured picture books all screaming for review, I spied the oddly unassuming cover of The Duck and the Darklings . Odd because apart from Peterboy’s candle-hat, there was little that was not sombre looking about this picture book. Even the title sounded desolate, quirky. Surely though something fantastical had to be dwelling between those black covers because this was the new creation of two of Australia’s most revered story tellers, Glenda Millard and Stephen Michael King. The Duck and the Darklings is less of a blasé five minute read and more of a whimsical journey of despair, discovery, renewal and hope. It opens bleakly in the land of Dark and is about a small child named, Peterboy and his Grandpa, who sha...