Update - Winner Announced! Celebrate Summer Reading & Fun Berrie Torgan-Randall!

7/15: Congrats to Julie Banta on winning Berrie's book giveaway! We'll be in touch soon with more details.

A special thanks to everyone who joined us to celebrate Summer Reading & Fun!

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6/21

Hi, readers, writers, and duck lovers, too! It's day two of our summer reading celebration and we have a special treat for you today. Berrie Torgan-Randall, author and illustrator of multiple books, is here with us sharing her newest picture book, Just Ducky. Margaret “aka Ducky” is wild about ducks. Soon, things go “fowl" at day camp when she shares too many unsolicited duck facts. Can Margaret find a way to listen and make space for other campers' interests, too? Want to know more about Berrie and her sweet new book, PLUS want a chance to win a very special treat from her? Read on...

Q: Hi! We’re so excited to feature you today for our Summer Reading Event! Just Ducky is adorable! How did you come up with this cute and absolutely ducky tale?

A: Just Ducky: A Friendship Takes Flight  is a story based on an event that happened when my son was in daycare, and I was the librarian at the school attached to the daycare. My son’s class came to the library for storytime. While I attempted to read the story, my son kept interrupting with “facts” he wanted to share. I was initially annoyed, but his teacher told me he was enthusiastic about the story and wanted to let me know about it right there, right then. My character Ducky is a bit like my son. Ducky knows everything about ducks and wants everyone in day camp to know about ducks–much to the chagrin of her nemesis Marvin.

There were other duck idioms along the way that helped to spark ideas while creating Ducky’s story. For example, during an Eastern PA SCBWI (Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators) retreat, author Leah Henderson talked about her journey to publication. She mentioned shaking her tail feathers when she received her first publishing contract. Another duck reference came when I attended Illustrator Camp at the Highlights Foundation. My mentor Merrill Rainey and I were talking about the highs and lows of being a volunteer Illustrator Coordinator for SCBWI. He mentioned that after leaving his IC position, the volunteer who took his place was like a duck who remains calm on the surface and paddles like crazy underneath to keep things afloat. Both of these idioms made it into my picture book.

The title Just Ducky came to me during the pandemic. I volunteered at a local vaccine center when a man wearing a baseball cap that I and many others would find offensive came in to get his shot. Normally I wouldn't have engaged in conversation with him, but I thought you know we are all in this together so I asked the man how he was and he replied, “Just ducky.” Alas, the title for the book about compassion and friendship was born.

Q: Were you infatuated with ducks as a child? Why or why not? How did this play into your story? If not, share what you loved or were infatuated with as a child. If you have one, we'd love to see a picture of a duck that you drew as a child!

A: I spent many hours making dollhouse furniture when I was a child. My sister and I had mice figurines (I’m pretty sure they were made out of rabbit fur). With help from my mom we made clothes from felt, and I made up stories as we played (my sister got bored after a few hours of play but I could play and create in my dollhouse for hours). I went on scavenger hunts around the house and yard to find objects for our mouse house. A bottle cap became a miniature pie tin. The contents were a rolled-out piece of oven baked clay and glued-in seed beads to make the bottle cap look like a blueberry pie. My imagination ran wild, and I never tired of making stories and creating miniature objects for my mouse house.

Similarly, in elementary school we were assigned to make a diorama of a chapter book we read. I happily threw myself into the task and created a scene from my favorite book The Rescuers by Margery Sharp. I did such a good job with my diorama that the teacher asked to keep it as an example for next year’s class.  

As far as being a duck fan, one of my beloved books as a child was Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. My favorite scene is when Officer Michael stopped traffic to help Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their ducklings cross the street to get to the pond. Also who doesn’t love reading the names of the ducklings–Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack. 

In addition, on family vacations my sister noticed that I pointed out all the ducks. She let me know I was annoying her. I let her comments roll off my back. 

Q: Any other humorous or duck-filled fun you'd like to share with us?

A: Another incident that sparked the idea for Just Ducky was observing my friend raising ducklings with her daughter during the pandemic. The ducks didn’t last long because they were picked off one by one by a fox in the neighborhood–they were literally sitting ducks. Before the ducks disappeared, my friend asked my daughter to take care of them for a couple of days. My daughter Facetimed me with frustration because she couldn’t get the ducks into their pen for the evening. When I asked her to put her phone somewhere where I could see what she was doing, I couldn’t stop laughing because she looked like a duck with her yellow crocs. In my story, Ducky is wearing yellow crocs. 

Q: Please share a little bit more about the silly puns used in your story - we love a good pun here at #SeasonsOfKidLit.

A: My dad, a salesman, loved puns. My friends told me, “Your dad is so funny!” I replied, "He is?” Being his kid I didn’t really notice because the puns were frequent and kind of annoying at the time. But alas his quirky sense of humor rubbed off on me, and in retrospect I'm thankful for all the puns and as a storyteller I now appreciate his creative use of wordplay.

Q: Can you share any more about the submission process with Cardinal Rules Press?

A: I submitted Just Ducky during Cardinal Rule Press’s yearly open submission window. While meeting with a dear friend who helps me with my writing and editing about changing the story, I got an email from Adam Blackman at CRP who let me know that my submission had been chosen out of over 1000 entries! As an extra bonus I will be CRP’s first ever author/illustrator. Along the way I worked with Adam who helped me with the humor and heart of the story and with Art Director Maggie Spurgeon who provided excellent art direction to help me get my ducks in a row. Together we not only formed a story about Ducky and Marvin’s new friendship but also curated our own friendship between editor, art director, and author/illustrator.

Q: What’s next for you on the publishing front?

A: I have handed in a manuscript and thumbnail sketches for the second book in the series for my early reader graphic novel Bella & Blue (The Little Press). Bella & Blue: Times Two will have three new chapters: “Math Class Blues,” “Pajama Jitters,” and “Fear of Flying.” 

Bella & Blue is an early reader graphic novel. Eight-year-old Bella has anxiety issues. Small things aren't so small for Bella. But with the help of her colorful dog Blue and her grandma Gigi (who has a flair for all things French and over-the-top hats), Bella can handle every day's twists and turns. Blue is the companion children dream of– a therapy dog that plays patty-cake to calm Bella's nerves and takes away her blues.

A BIG congrats on your new book - how exciting!

BONUS QUESTION: What’s your favorite way to celebrate summer? 

Canoeing on the Brandywine River with my family looking out for ducks. 

Q: Would you like to leave a tip or a treat for the readers?

A: A treat! One lucky duck (reader) will receive a copy of Bella & Blue: Bella Meets Blue.

Thanks so much for your generous treat, Berrie! And thanks for stopping by and celebrating summer (and tons of ducks) with us, too! We had a blast with you today.

Giveaway Details: Readers, to enter to win Berrie's amazing book giveaway, 1) share this post on social media and 2) leave a comment below to thank her for stopping by! Duck GIFs are quack-solutely appreciated, too.

Giveaway winners will be drawn and announced on or about 7/11!

Books will be shipped in the US only.

About Berrie Torgan-Randall:

Berrie Torgan-Randall is an author/illustrator working from her home studio in Media, PA. Berrie’s illustrations have appeared in Ladybug Magazine, and her debut early reader graphic novel, Bella & Blue: Bella Meets Blue was published by The Little Press Publishing in 2022. The second book in the Bella & Blue series is to launch in October 2026 titled Bella & Blue: Times Two. In addition, Berrie’s debut picture book Just Ducky: A Friendship Takes Flight is set to soar in October 2025  published by Cardinal Rule Press. Berrie is Cardinal Rule Press’s first author/illustrator.

For more about Berrie, check out the below links:

Website: berrietr.com

BlueSky: ‪@berrietr.bsky.social

IG: Berrie Torgan-Randall (@blue.berrie) • Instagram photos and videos‬

To order Just Ducky, click here.

To order Bella & Blue, click here.

To leave a review for Berrie's books on Amazon, click here.

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