Lemon the Duck
Written by Laura Backman
Illustrated by Laurence Cleyet-Merie
Laura Backman's (2008) Lemon the Duck tells the story of how a group of students help a disabled duck to walk by accepting him, loving him, and caring for him. I stumbled across this book on YouTube when I was researching disability-related children's books on the Internet. This book was identified as a "top-rated children's picture book about disabilities" by www.mommypicks.com. Although I enjoyed listening to a woman tell this story (see YouTube clip below), I questioned whether or not the book itself is as inclusive as it's said to be. This story is all about Lemon the Duck's inability to walk, and therefore the focus is on his disability. Using the criteria offered by the Ontario Coalition for Inclusive Education, try evaluating this book similar to the way in which I have evaluated other books in previous blogs! Do you think this book is inclusive? Does it portray disability in a positive light?
Listen to Lemon the Duck by clicking on the YouTube clip below,
and then post your comments below!
and then post your comments below!
Marie,
ReplyDeleteWhile I also felt that it was nice to be read to, I didn’t find this book to portray disability in an inclusive light. For example, Lemon was segregated from her siblings and when they were reunited by Miss Lake, the Lemon’s siblings left her behind because she couldn’t walk in the grass. Lemon was carried in a baby stroller and, while this was well intentioned, Lemon was infantilized which is an unwanted treatment that many people with disabilities also face.
The book also describes the children as focusing on helping Lemon to walk and “fixing” her disability, rather than accepting Lemon as is. Lemon was depicted as sad when she couldn’t walk (e.g., the image at 2:35) and “one happy duck” later in the story when she was able to stand in the sling that the children made for her. As you mentioned, the focus of the book is on Lemon’s disability.
Relating these comments to the Ontario Coalition for Inclusive Education evaluation criteria, I do not think that this book is inclusive. The focus is on disability, Lemon was not integrated with her peers, and Lemon was portrayed as helpless until she had the ability to stand.
Hi Kari,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your insights! I, too, agree that this book isn't as inclusive as www.mommypicks.com makes it out to be. Lemon is portrayed as the sad, helpless disabled animal, and it is up to the able-bodied characters to save him. I agree that the whole book is focused on "fixing" Lemon's disability as opposed to accepting her for the way she is. I wonder if there is anyone out there that disagrees with our perspective...
Marie
I'd like to respond to the comments if I may. In the real world, ducks with disabilities would likely be killed by the so-called "healthier" ducks in order to prevent attracting predators. I wanted children to see how Lemon was separated from/rejected by her own kind without going into the sad details of the rules of the animal kingdom.
ReplyDeleteThe focus of Lemon's story wasn't to fix her disability (which they did not), it was to help Lemon reach her potential, and to help Lemon have the highest quality of life possible. Children can be powerful to help others. By helping Lemon, they enabled her to be more independent.
Quacks,
Laura and Lemon
http://lemontheduck.com