Waiting in the Wings

Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3

Inspired by a true event, the tale of a duck family waiting in the wings for their moment in the spotlight—from the #1 bestselling mother-daughter team of musical icon Julie Andrews and author Emma Walton Hamilton!

Mr. and Mrs. Puddleduck have found the perfect place to nest: a cozy planter by a theater in a sunny seaside village. While Mrs. P is warming the eggs, Mr. P is drawn to the spellbinding songs, fabulous feathered costumes, and dazzling dances he’s secretly watching during rehearsals. He’s even showing off some fancy new footwork to Mrs. P!

But it turns out he’s been learning much more than how to put on a show. When the chicks begin hatching right by the roadside, it takes a chorus line of parading performers—and Mr. P’s clever choreography—to come to the rescue!

From the bestselling mother-daughter team musical icon Julie Andrews and author Emma Walton Hamilton comes a delightful story inspired by the true tale of ducklings who stopped traffic and charmed a community, all the way to their splashy grand finale!

About the Author

Julie Andrews has a legendary career that encompasses the Broadway and London stages, as well as multiple films, television shows, album releases, concert tours, directing assignments, and the world of children’s publishing. In 2000 the title of Dame Commander of the British Empire was bestowed upon her by Queen Elizabeth II for lifetime achievements in the arts and humanities. She was married to film director Blake Edwards for forty-one years, and the couple have five children, ten grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. She invites you to visit her online at @julieandrews on both Instagram and Twitter.

Emma Walton Hamilton is an award-winning writer, producer, and arts educator. Together with her mother, Julie Andrews, she has written over thirty-five books for children and young adults, including the New York Times bestselling Very Fairy Princess series and The First Notes: The Story of Do, Re, Mi. Her first book of poetry, Door to Door, was published in 2022. Emma is a longtime faculty member of Stony Brook University’s MFA in Creative Writing and invites you to visit her online at @ewhamilton on both Instagram and Twitter.

EG Keller is the illustrator of many books, including the New York Times #1 bestseller A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo and Bravo star Emilia Bechrakis Serhant’s To the Moon and Back for You. He also wrote and illustrated Murray Christmas and Please Please the Bees, which won the 2017 Frances and Wesley Bock Book Award. He lives in Denver, Colorado and invites you to visit him online at egkellerdraws.com or @egkellerdraws on Instagram.