Duck, Death and the Tulip

By Wolf Erlbruch

While strolling along one afternoon, Duck realizes she is being followed- by a very interesting figure. Death himself (in a dressing gown and slippers) is staying close to Duck, "just in case", and their surreal friendship is the basis for this strange and beautiful picture book. With sparse language and exquisite illustrations by renowned German writer and artist Wolf Erlbruch, the subject of death is approached gently but honestly. There is a real sweetness to the quiet moments Duck and Death share, such as Duck offering to keep Death warm after a swim ("Nobody had ever offered to do that for Death"), and the careful way Death strokes her feathers and lays Duck in the water when her time finally comes. The business of dying is given wonderful perspective in the last line of the book- "But that's life," thought Death. A heart-warming way of introducing kids to a difficult subject.