Duckworth, the Difficult Child

Duckworth, the Difficult Child

Duckworth’s parents think he is a difficult child, so when a snake slides right up and swallows him whole , his parents don’t believe him! What’s poor Duckworth to do? Duckworth is a difficult child. At least that’s what his parents think. So when Duckworth tries to explain that a gigantic snake slithered out of his closet, his parents insist it’s all in his head—he is far too old to be imagining such nonsense. (And will he please do his chores?) But even when the cobra slides right up and swallows Duckworth whole , his parents remain unconvinced! (Where did he find that snake costume, and will he please put it away?) What’s poor Duckworth to do when his parents just won’t listen? With nods to the deliciously dark humor of Edward Gorey, Florence Parry Heide, and Jon Klassen, Michael Sussman and Júlia Sardà empathize with children everywhere who must find ways to deal with their difficult parents. "What first appears to be a Goreyesque cautionary tale for troublesome children comically turns the tables to target inept parents instead. . . . Sardà plays up the story's situational humor in her detailed, vintage-toned watercolors, ensuring that kids get the joke that the parents are the difficult ones, not Duckworth. A lightly macabre, utterly amusing read." (Booklist ) "Sardà's illustrations blend a gothic sensibility with an art deco style." (Kirkus Reviews ) "It's up to Duckworth to figure out how to deal with his predicament (while stuck inside a snake's belly!) A tongue-in-cheek parable about dealing with difficult parents, Duckworth the Difficult Child is a welcome addition to school and public library children's picture book collections." Midwest Book Review "Sometimes with children's books, with the very best of books, a perfect collaboration of author and artist comes together to celebrate a truly terrific story. Such is the case with Michael Sussman (author) and Júlia Sardà (illustrator) in their brilliant co-creation, Duckworth, The Difficult Child ." Joel R. Dennstedt, Readers' Favorite One summer evening, while taking a stroll, an image flashed through my mind of a snake that had swallowed a child. As I imagined the bulge working its way down the length of the serpent, it struck me as a compelling (if somewhat macabre) basis for a picture book. I worried that my concept might be too scary for young children, unless I made it a funny story. So, I decided to model the tale after one of my favorite books, The Shrinking of Treehorn , by Florence Parry Heide and Edward Gorey, in which a boy named Treehorn finds himself shrinking, which his parents are too oblivious to notice. Júlia Sardà is an illustrator from Barcelona. After her studies, Júlia started working as colorist in a studio which made the editorial merchandising for Disney/Pixar and then moved on to freelancing two years later. With work ranging from concept art for video games to children's illustration, Júlia has had the chance to illustrate some everlasting classics such as  Alice in Wonderland ;  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ; and  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . Visit her online at JuliaSarda.com. Michael Sussman, a clinical psychologist and survivor of difficult parents, is the author of the picture books  Otto Grows Down  and  Duckworth, the Difficult Child , a psychological thriller titled  Incognolio,  and  A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy.  Visit him online at MichaelSussmanBooks.com.