Duck, Apple, Egg by Glenda Millard illustrated by Martina Heiduczek

Here is part of text of this book. 

Duck on the green,

sun in the sky,

egg in the nest,

apple on the tree,

and me.

Duck in the sky,

sun in the nest,

egg on the tree,

apple on the green,

and me. ...

Me on the green

under the sun

beneath the sky

beside the tree

with the duck

on her egg

in the nest.

Apple in a pie.

Pie in me.

When you see the name Glenda Millard on the cover of a book you know you are in for a treat. Glenda has such a rich grasp of the way language works - the power of a single word perfectly placed. Receiving this text, which I imagine was just one typed page, would surely be daunting for any illustrator. The way authors and illustrators are paired is somewhat of a mystery but often the process is controlled by the publisher. If that is the case here, then I offer huge congratulations to Harper Collins and ABC Books. It is so important for a picture book to employ equal partners - the author pens a brilliant text and the illustrator creates images both worthy of the words but also images that take young readers beyond the words into another realm of imagination. I had not heard of Martina Heiduczek but she has made this simple picture book truly special. I love the limited colour palette especially the moss green grass, the blue house roof which matches the pants worn by the small child and the perfect red she has used for the shiny apples. 

Image source: Booktopia

I now discover Martina did the illustrations for the wonderful Senior Primary novel - We are Wolves by Katrina Nannestad.

I am going to predict Duck, Apple, Egg will be included on the CBCA 2021 Notable titles which will shortly be announced.  Take a look the teacher notes. This book should be added to every Preschool book shelf and it would make a joyous gift for a young child too.

The illustrations have a charming slightly European feel to it – that green is so very fresh but Australian children will love it. StoryLinks

You can’t help but smile when you read this picture book. It pulls you back into your childhood and the delights of being in nature, doing nothing in particular and loving it. Kids Book Review

Glenda Millard is the author of the wonderful Tishkin Silk series along with these picture books:

Duck and the Darklings

Lightning Jack