The Friends of the Public Garden will celebrate Mother’s Day with Boston-area families during its annual Duckling Day Parade on Sunday May 8th. Registration will begin at 10:30am at the corner of Beacon and Park Streets, and the parade will begin at noon. Based on the classic Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, Duckling Day is an annual event where children and their families retrace the steps of the beloved characters, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their family of eight ducklings. Led by the Harvard University Band, the parade will begin at the Boston Common on the corner of Beacon and Park Street. Children will parade through Beacon Hill dressed like characters from the story and end in the Public Garden near the famous duckling sculptures.

Prior to the parade there will be plenty of family entertainment including a face painter, balloon artist and a magician. Mayor Menino will greet families at the end of the parade and actors from the Wheelock Family Theater will do a dramatic reading from the book. A donation of $25 per family is requested for all participants. For more information log on to www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org.  Robert E. Kennedy’s Make Way for Ducklings print, pictured below, is available through www.kennedyartgalleries.com.