Written by Rodney Vance, Illustrated by Marshall L. Toomey
Six-year-old Wendy loves words and loves Pale Male and Lola, a pair of red-tail hawks who live in Central Park. She uses her words to help the hawks keep their home.
Wendy tosses a bodacious breadcrumb to the duck swimming at the edge of the lake. “There you go, duck,” she says. “That’s a bodacious breadcrumb.”
“Hank you,” the duck says, in a nasally voice.
“Did you hear that?” Wendy marvels to Nanny. “The duck said, ‘Hank you!’”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Nanny retorts. “Ducks can’t talk.”
Wendy thinks ducks can so talk because this duck just talked. But before she can say what she thinks, she sees the most meritoriously monumental creature she has ever seen in her life.