Duck Gets a Job by Sonny Ross

Duck Gets a Job is a wonderfully inspiring picture book written and illustrated by Sonny Ross and published by Templar Publishing.

Duck is a little lost in life, he wants a job but isn’t sure what direction to take. His friends all work in the city and keep telling him he should work there too. He finally caves in, goes for an interview and, despite his nervousness, gets the job. Brilliant! But Duck is miserable. City work is just not for him and his new job is so boring it sends him to sleep. So he makes a courageous decision; he quits to follow his dream of being an artist.

Will Duck’s leap of faith pay off? Will he finally find a job that he can stay awake for? Either way this unassuming hero presents a perfect message in this story – It’s OK to go against the grain. It’s OK to realise something isn’t for you. It’s OK to be yourself.

Dynamic and original this is a picture book that will appeal to all ages. My four-year-old loves looking at the pictures of Duck travelling around the city, it’s a sweet story with just the right amount of subtle humour portrayed in the illustrations.

But this book works on many levels and will speak to older children and even adults. The nervousness that Duck feels about going for a job, the worries over how to get to and behave at an interview; it’s relatable. It’s honest. It can be hard to pull yourself up and find the confidence to believe in yourself but Duck shows us that when you do others might just believe in you too.

Sonny Ross is a specialist in Risograph prints and this unique style gives the illustrations real depth and texture, this is certainly a picture book that stands out. Illustrated throughout with a pallette of blues and oranges but with much of Duck’s feelings and emotions reflected through the clever use of lighting and perspective.

Duck Gets a Job is based on Ross’s own experiences of starting his career as an illustrator and is living proof that listening to your heart can pay off. He even offers some wise words at the end of this book: “Sometimes you just have to be really brave, and follow your dreams.”

Thank goodness he did.

You can find out more about Sonny Ross by visiting his website here.

Many thanks to Templar Publishing for sending a free copy of Duck Gets a Job for review.

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