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Kindness and compassion are the bedrock of the blended Wackadoodle family. On the heels of We Are the Wackadoodle’s: Welcome to Our Blended Family, which features the varying personalities and the endless hopes and dreams of the collective family, this text uses the backdrop of a family picnic to provide a teachable moment for their children—and even adults for that matter. Through both the bright hues and tenor of the artwork and the prose itself, Duggan captures the excitement of family outings.
When the football sails into the bushes, Chandy runs to retrieve it only to find that three boys are not only refusing to return the football but claiming it to be their property now because of “finder’s keepers,” as their siblings taught them. With parents and the family in tow, Chandy, LJ, Grant, and Dorian could easily have escalated the situation and demanded what was rightfully theirs. However, the author demonstrates how simply pausing, reflecting, and assessing the best course of action can make all the difference. The mantra, of course, is kindness first, but after the boys nicely ask for their football only to be laughed away, and even the kind request from Mr. and Mrs. Wackadoodle falls on deaf ears, the situation reaches a boiling point where it could easily head in the wrong direction. Instead, the Wackadoodles’ gesture of kindness is taken to the next level, where they invite the kids who have taken the football to join in on their fun and festivities.
Though kindness is integral to the narrative, family time and being active are just as pronounced. The family plays volleyball, football, frisbee, and even the bean bag toss, ensuring that there is something enjoyable for everyone to do and that no one is left out. Undoubtedly, it is easy to perceive the simplicity of this text and overlook the depth of a culture that Duggan is striving to create with the Wackadoodle series. There are aspects of the Wackadoodle household that one could argue should immediately be adopted into every household in the world. For example, the idea of eating together and discussing the events of the day seems to be a lost family pastime, with everyone glued to their technological devices in the twenty-first century. At its core, the work is a testament to rekindling the human connection—especially the family connection—and instilling the notion of quality time in today’s tech-centric youth.
In a similar vein to Aesop’s fables, there is a “What did we learn from this story?” section at the end that clearly delineates why one should never steer away from kindness. More importantly, the work shows how to empathize with the perpetrator, as in the case of the lunch-stealing Mason. Almost always, someone who initiates a mean act is likely going through his or her own trials and tribulations, and the ability to understand that and put oneself in their shoes is extremely important. That said, the text draws a line when that teasing crosses its boundary and turns into something that genuinely can harm someone. Overall, Duggan uses the Wackadoodles to show how one can live in peace and harmony rather than rage and needless vendettas, offering a much-needed assurance of positivity in a highly unpredictable world.
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