Dino Duckling

‘Even as an egg, Dino Duckling was different.’ So begins Alison Murray’s prehistoric spin on The Ugly Duckling story.

Dino feels that difference too despite his Mama Duck’s reassurances that to her different makes no difference, and as the days pass and spring turns to summer and Dino becomes a gigantic dinosaur, those differences become increasingly evident.

Mama Duck teaches her offspring to swim, to fish, to share, how to navigate by the stars and how to look out for each other. She also teaches them how to celebrate their differences and even when being different presents challenges for Dino, his mother always offers reassurance.

Come the beginning of autumn though it seems as though there’s one very significant difference between Dino and his feathered siblings that might well prove insurmountable. Will he be left behind when the others fly south to spend the winter in warmer climes? With a mother as all-embracing in her love as Dino’s, there must surely be a way; and of course there is.

Murray’s open-hearted story of acceptance and unconditional love celebrates divergence and difference in a light-hearted yet reassuring way for young audiences many of whom may themselves feel the odd one out. Her bold screenprint illustrations amusingly emphasise Dino’s hugeness and the impact it has on himself and others, and the love and devotion of his mother and his siblings towards him is touchingly portrayed.