When Holding On Becomes the Reward

Holding onto Mama Duck’s Lost Duckling during Storytime

I last trick-or-treated when I was 12 years old. It was the ’70s, and for reasons I can no longer explain, I dressed as a purple bunch of grapes, and my friend accompanied me as a green bunch of grapes. In true Northwest style, we got pelted with sideways rain on Halloween. But it was our last year, and we were determined not to miss it.

That night, a teenage neighborhood bully tried to take my candy bag. He grabbed it, and I tugged back harder, yelling while my friend stood nearby, too terrified to help. We pulled back and forth in a tug-of-war in the street for what felt like forever, but I refused to loosen my grip on that hard-earned bag of treats! He was bigger than me, but I held on until he finally gave up and ran off to find some other unlucky trick-or-treater to spook.
Looking back, I think that little girl in the purple grape costume taught me something about myself: when I believe something is worth holding onto, I don't easily let go.

Years later, I would need that lesson.

The journey of Mama Duck's Lost Duckling began about 25 years ago, when a major publishing house bought the rights to the book. I thought my story had finally found its way into the world. But things changed, and the book was never published.

I could have let it go. Instead, I held on to the Mama Duck story, and to the hope that one day, she might bring other children the same joy and appreciation for nature that she brought to my own kids.
For years, the story waited. It grew, evolved, and waited some more. There were moments when I wondered if it would ever be published, but I continued to believe there was something special about Mama Duck's journey.

In the story, Mama Duck has ten ducklings, but one goes missing. She doesn't simply accept that her little one is gone. She searches, follows clues, and keeps looking until she finds her lost duckling.
In many ways, I see a lot of myself in Mama Duck.

Just as Mama Duck refused to give up on finding her baby, I refused to give up on this story.
Eventually, Mama Duck's Lost Duckling found its way into the world and was received in ways I never could have imagined.

And then came a moment I never could have imagined all those years ago: Mama Duck’s Lost Duckling was recognized as the 2026 NYC Big Book Award winner in the Picture Books – Preschool category, alongside submissions from talented authors and publishers from around the world.

Winning that award was an incredible honor. It reminded me that sometimes the stories we hold onto the longest can become the stories that reach people in ways we never expected. And to add to the excitement, part of the honor includes attending an award ceremony in the Big Apple next spring. I’m still pinching myself!

But I've learned that an award isn't the finish line.
The biggest award will always be seeing a child fall in love with reading.

It's watching a little face light up when Mama Duck finally finds her duckling. It's hearing children ask questions, notice the world around them, and become curious about nature. It's knowing that this story might encourage young readers to appreciate and care for the animals and the natural world we share.
That is the prize I will always treasure most.

When I look back at the journey from inspiration to an award-winning book, I realize it wasn't simply about writing a story. It was about believing in something through all the waiting, uncertainty, and unexpected pond waves.
Mama Duck searched until she found what she was looking for.
I held on until my story found its place on bookshelves.
And perhaps that's the lesson this book has been teaching me all along:

Sometimes you have to keep believing, keep searching, and keep holding on long enough for a story to find its way home.

With Gratitude Always,
-Janice

Winner of a 2026 NYC Big Book Award - we did it!