Death, Duck and the Tulip

Story

Duck has been having a strange feeling, as though something has been following it. Then one day it notices Death, who has been there the whole-time keeping watch over it, waiting for the day when they would finally meet…

Why we chose it

A simple but memorable picture book - a gentle exploration of life and death

Where it came from

Wolf Erlburch (1948) is a German author and illustrator. He combines many styles when he is illustrating his books, including cutting and pasting, drawing and painting. He studied graphic design and mostly illustrated for magazines, until some of his drawings of lions were spotted by a publisher, who thought he would be a perfect children’s book illustrator. He presents honest stories about things we all face as humans.

Where it went next

Wolf Erlburch received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Duck Death and the Tulip has been adapted into a short animation by Ella Yoon and Jorge Sandoval (2014) and there have been many theatre adaptations using puppetry.

Associated stories

Elburch’s other children’s novels include The Story of the Little Mole who knew it was none of his business and The Bear who wasn’t there: and the fabulous forest. Many of his stories have an animal as the focus, especially bears!