Hapless Harry: The Minnesota Muscovy Duck Documentary (Stories From the Whitewater Valley)

Pricing is coming soon. 

By Lisa Loucks-Christenson (Author, illustrator, Photographer)

A wildlife documentary recorded in the Whitewater Valley, in the blufflands of southeastern Minnesota. This is a true story about a Muscovy duck who created his own extraordinary path into the wild and into the hearts of the people he met during his adventures while here on Earth.

This is the diary of a Muscovy duck's life, documented with real photos, illustrations, and hand-drawn comics the author created based on her unlikely hero, Hapless Harry the Minnesota Muscovy Duck.

This is a true story of a Minnesota Muscovy duck—a documentary created as a photo record, a diary, sketchbook, and memory of sorts of our time we spent together that summer of 2009.

From the moment the author first realized the creature peeking out from behind some swamp plants growing out of the dark shadows of the scum-covered pond was a Muscovy duck, Hapless Harry's future looked short.

This is a true story about an extraordinary duck, one who, without a single flight feather, gave rise to the spirits of others, speaking their language, connecting with their hearts, and sharing answers to their every call.

No matter how Hapless Harry made shore—any detour in tributaries, ponds, or streams—had he traveled any other direction or a couple of miles north, he would have landed on the Mississippi River, and Hapless Harry and his story would not have crossed paths with the author.

During Hapless Harry's brief visit here on Earth, he taught her a lot about the human condition: how friends come in all shapes, sizes, and species. All of their adventures are here, as witnessed and recorded through the eyes of a nature journalist covering her outdoor daily beat.

The author hopes this story will continue blessing those who find it—a reason to visit and reread Hapless Harry: The Minnesota Muscovy Duck Documentary. A duck who, in retrospect, may not have been such a lost duck after all.

"Finally—a story from nature where the underdog fights and wins a few battles anyway before their last departure." —Lisa Loucks-Christenson