A Little Duck Tale

Even at its most cloying, it's still pretty difficult to resist the charms of this heartwarming tale of nature in the big city. Made for Japanese television, this true story focuses on a mother duck who nested in the small pond next to the Mitsui and Co. building in the heart of downtown Tokyo, took her ducklings across eight lanes of traffic, and ended up in the moat surrounding the Imperial Palace, where she taught her brood to fly. To the surprise of Tokyo journalists and newscasters, the mother duck returned the following year in 1985, and did it all again. A Little Duck Tale tells the story of the mother duck's second brood and, in particular, the tale of "Chibi" (the Japanese word for "runt"). As the littlest duckling, Chibi lags behind his siblings--first, unable to climb out of the man-made pond, and later earthbound when his brothers and sisters take wing. Yet Chibi and the others do manage to make it to the moat where they practice their flying skills in the face of swan attacks and heavy storms, and the journalists--most likely grateful for the change of routine--record it all with interest and an obvious sense of wonder. A Little Duck Tale will capture the hearts of viewers young and old. Highly recommended. (Available from most distributors.)