The Tale of the Mandarin Duck, Bette Midler
The Tale of the Mandarin Duck, Bette Midler
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The Tale of the Mandarin Duck
A Modern Fable

Author: Bette Midler

Narrator: Bette Midler

Unabridged: 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/16/2021

Synopsis

Inspired by the real-life rainbow-colored Mandarin Duck who appeared in New York’s Central Park in 2018, this modern fable by Bette Midler celebrates the connections people make with each other and the world around them. 
 
How do you get people to appreciate what is right in front of them? In The Tale of the Mandarin Duck, it takes a mysterious, beautiful duck and a clear-eyed kid to point out the obvious! This audiobook will have listeners of all ages coming back to visit the fantastical interpretation of New York City and its odd ducks—both feathered and human. 
 
An afterword by Ms. Kakutani adds details to the facts behind this one-of-a-kind story of the Mandarin Duck.

About The Author

Bette Midler is an American actress, singer, and comedienne. She remembers the time before cell phones. Visit her on Twitter and Instagram.   Michiko Kakutani is a Pulitzer Prize–winning literary critic and the former chief book critic of The New York Times. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Death of Truth.  

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bunny on October 16, 2021

I love Bette Midler. I love ducks. I love gorgeous photographs of animals. But man. Was this book not it. It could've been truly great, the story of a unique bird ending up famous in New York. Instead, we got admonished for how pEoPLe aRE alWaYs On ThEiR ph0nE and quite frankly, desperately disappoin......more

Goodreads review by Lynn on March 25, 2021

Delightful Picture Book This is a delightful picture book about the Mandarin Duck that lived in Central Park from 2018 and 2019. A pleasure to read and great illustrations. People in New York are looking at their phones all the time and the duck inspires them to use their eyes to look at the duck.......more

Goodreads review by Lyndsay on March 18, 2025

This book could've been more, but it was cute for what it was. The photos are gorgeous, and I liked the moral of experiencing things with our own eyes and not always through a lens or a phone. However, it seemed odd to imply that New Yorkers used to talk to each other. We didn't. There are pictures......more

Goodreads review by J on January 12, 2022

Before 2021 closed there was a mandarin duck reported in a park in a city near to where I lived. In a spirit of adventure we chose to go find this beautiful bird as he hid and discovered him with a flock of mallards. And this is where the book most definitely comes into play. Bette Midler explores......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on February 06, 2021

Oh, the photographs and supportive text in this book make me long to have lived in New York City and seen this colorful Mandarin Duck who briefly visited the area in 2018, fascinating the urban dwellers briefly before disappearing. The photos, especially that double-page spread showing the new bird......more

Quotes

“Midler has crafted a loving ode to the people of New York…. A celebration of beauty—in a city, in its people, and in an extraordinary avian visitor.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This story is rooted in reality yet slyly surreal…. There is a crackling creative synergy among the book’s collaborators, each of whom contributes bountifully to the storytelling.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

Awards

  • Green Earth Book Award
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