Little Miss Dewie: A DUCKumentary

Gr 2–4—This endearing documentary proves that a low budget does not mean poor quality. Writer/director Mira Tweti, a Los Angeles-based journalist and avian rights activist, found an orphaned duckling near her apartment. She named the little duck Dewie and tried to care for her while looking for a safe place to release her. Raising a duck was a new experience, and Tweti documented the three months that the duckling lived in her tiny, no-pets-allowed apartment. There were buckets of water placed on the balcony for bathing pools, and plastic sheeting covered the floors and furniture, since ducks cannot be house-broken. Tweti also learned to ask grocery stores for day-old greens for the duck to eat, and she went against her Buddhist principals, buying living creatures, worms, for Dewie to devour. The search for a new home took Tweti to golf courses, country clubs, and even the aviary at the Playboy Mansion. After placing an ad in Craigslist, she connected with another bird-loving woman who was able to provide Dewie a home and a companion duck. Tweti's cheerful determination to do the right thing by the orphaned duckling and the thoroughly delightful home movie feel make this film very appealing. It may also provide a reality check for children who want to take in orphaned animals. That said, it only touches on issues of wildlife and animal welfare tangentially.