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HENRY WINKLER GETS IT: “A HEARD CHILD IS A POWERFUL CHILD”

The iconic actor, his longtime writing partner Lin Oliver, and award-winning
creator Dan Santat discuss their new children’s book, Detective Duck.

by Julie Sprankles
Oct. 27, 2023

Ariela Basson/Scary Mommy; Getty Images, Harry N. Abrams


Few people survive their adolescence unscathed, and fewer still come out on the
other side feeling like they actually felt seen and heard during those tricky
middle years of youth. Henry Winkler understands. In fact, Winkler struggled
with it in a way that brought the iconic actor (ayyyyyy, Fonzie!) to a cathartic
career path: children's book author.

"I will tell you this," he said to me over Zoom. "I had a rough time with my
parents … I realized a heard child is a powerful child. And I think in every one
of our books, there is somebody who hears our character."



The "our" Winkler is referring to is his longtime writing partner, Lin Oliver,
who's written dozens of books with him. Their latest, Detective Duck: The Case
of the Strange Splash, is another in an ever-growing collection of YA stories
that center this sort of emotional recognition.

In the full-color chapter adventure book, a young duck "detective" named Willow
Feathers McBeaver sets out to uncover the problem plaguing her beloved Dogwood
Pond. With the support of her dad, Mr. McBeaver, and her pond pals, the
precocious little duck doesn't stop until she finds answers — even when she
struggles with feeling like she's not enough.

There's a brilliant moment with Mr. McBeaver toward the beginning of the book
when Willow tells him she wants to be a detective. He scoffs at first, but then,
to paraphrase, he realizes he made her "feel small."

So, he course-corrects.


Dan Santat/Abrams



"When you're around kids, you realize how much they have to say, and how strong
their opinions are, and how deep their feelings run," says Oliver. "We're all
just assuming that life is good for them, and they're merely going along their
way. So, it really matters to stop, listen, pay attention, and respond to what
they're putting out in the world."

Award-winning illustrator Dan Santat, who worked with Winkler and Oliver to
bring the characters to life, believes holding space for kids' big emotions is a
natural evolution in how people approach parenting.

"One thing that feels universal when you talk to parents or adults who've gone
through the rigors of adolescence is you kind of get through childhood,
especially around the middle school and high school years, with some scars. I
don't think anybody can go through life reaching adulthood without a little bit
of cynicism because maybe they saw or heard some awful stuff. Maybe they've gone
through tough things. But I don't believe that should be a rite of passage,"
says Santat.

Instead, Santat sees a shift: As parents, we're thinking more about our kids and
how making them feel seen and heard — like Willow's dad does for her in
Detective Duck — empowers them to be themselves.

"When we talk about making change, it's important to do those things and just
watch that little seed blossom and grow into something bigger," he shares,
adding, "I do feel like, as a society, we're making improvements."

Some of those little seeds have already blossomed into bigger things. Santat's
example? Pronouns. "Now we're to a point where no one questions it, right? It's
already part of the cultural zeitgeist; that's a new default baseline for kids.
That's how change happens."

With Detective Duck, Winkler and Oliver hope to plant a few seeds about
ecological awareness.

As Willow, armed with her satchel for collecting clues, unravels the mysteries
plaguing Dogwood Pond, she begins to realize the harm to their habitat is being
caused by humans.

"I think it's vital that we start, at the very youngest age, not scaring
children but having them appreciate what the natural world is so that they can,
as they get older, dig into the issues and try to make corrections," says
Oliver.


Dan Santat/Abrams



For Winkler, the book's underlying message about the environment speaks to a
theme in most of his work: teamwork.

"It's not daunting," he says in his sincere way. "You just have to do one little
thing, and you have to do one thing together. You've got friendship, you've got
cooperation, and you've got, 'We didn't know how; we figured it out together.'"

That's precisely what the characters in Detective Duck do — figure it out
together. As a collective, they're a lovable (resourceful) bunch. But, I had to
know, did the authors develop any favorites along the way?

Winkler goes first, admitting, "I love the dad because the dad is so supportive.
He's right there. He's got a sense of humor that makes his daughter's wings and
feathers cringe. But he's right on board with her. 'If I'm needed, I'm there,'
he says."

Santat struggles to choose just one of the pond pals but is partial to Sal, the
comic-book-loving salamander who tends to jump to hilarious conclusions (ahem,
aliens).

For Oliver, it's the title character.

"I'm probably representing girl power here … I love Willow, the little duck who
thinks that she can do anything because her motto is 'I may be small, but I can
make a big difference,'" explains Oliver. "I think that for all children, and
especially for growing girls, that's a really important message — that change
happens incrementally, one little web foot at a time, and that's what she's
doing. I love that about her."

Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash is available now.

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