This big quacker has been a part of my life for a very long time. I visited The Big Duck in every location but the original storefront in Riverhead. There is something about her that says "Welcome" and inspires many different puns, movie references and jokes. I just love her. On my last visit, my daughter and I discovered that there was not one book to be had in the gift shop.

That sent this librarian on a quest. I discovered several books that mentioned her, and one that was actually about her. Sadly it was not for sale in the gift shop. This one was inspired by the Big Duck and the many students I taught over the years. I have virtually traveled all over the Eastern Seaboard and to Arizona in search of information about her, her designers.

This first edition features illustrations by Robin O'Neill-Gonzalez's 2023/24 Freshman Class of Northport High School, which is in Suffolk County, (the home of the Big Duck) on Long Island, NY. The photographs were taken by the parent of a former student who also made Long Island her "beat" as a New York State Trooper. Jennifer Natalie Frey supported every project I ever started with her incredible gifts, the gift of her daughter and the gift of her photography.

Look for future editions to include student artists from Nassau County, the state of New York, and well, who knows?

Linda Trott Dickman