Candlewick sent me a picture book a couple of weeks ago that fits into a narrow little niche of readers who are going to just love it: French Ducks in Venice by Garret Freymann Weyr (illustrated by Erin McGuire). It reads initially (and purposely) as a modern day fairy tale - two ducks in Venice, California, enjoy the good life including the attention of nearby fashion designer Polina whose "prince" makes movies. Then the prince leaves and Polina is despondent and the ducks become quite concerned for their friend and suddenly this is not about a Disneyesque princess but something quite different and that is when I realized it also is not a picture book for three-year olds who like pink covers but really for eleven-year olds who are noticing that the other girls seem to be moving ahead in the romance department while they are trying to catch up.

Please girls, don't race to get to catch up - enjoy your childhoods!!!

French Ducks is the perfect tween romance for the tween who longs for romance but needs a little hint of how to cope with the loss of it while still keeping their heart set on the promise of it. (It's a subtle difference but Freyman-Weyr nails it.) (Oh - and it's also for tweens who don't require a tween heroine and don't mind talking ducks.) (A love of fashion would be a good thing though.)

I totally did not expect to find this offbeat story in this book but I'm delighted with such a nice surprise. Oh - and the illustrations are colorful and sweet and a bit Disneyesque but in a good way. I'm giving this one to my son's friend who is ten and already full of visions of make-up and pinkness and happily ever after. I want her to have her eyes open as she dreams of love (because love is wonderful but heartbreak not so much) and I think these two ducks might just be the ones to show her how to do that.

Now, totally unrelated, my favorite Christmas song - the rocking Melissa Etheridge version.