Clovis mom publishes second children’s book

“Lucky Ducky wasn’t quite lucky, he could fly but not too high.”

So begins the tale of Lucky Ducky, the runt of the family, who goes on a trek to learn how to fly and join the rest of his flock.

“In the end, he learns that it’s about having the confidence to do things on your own,” said Barbara Carpenter, the author of the book, which was published in July.

Carpenter, a customer service agent for Der Manouel Insurance Group by day and writer by night, lives in Clovis with her husband, Jeremiah, and their two sons Grayson, 4, and Liam, 2.

“Lucky Ducky” is Carpenter’s second published book. Her first, “Moe Fish the Slow Fish,” was published in December and is a similar story about a fish that wants to be fast enough to catch up to his friends who left him behind.

“It’s about accepting yourself,” Carpenter said. “It has to do with my childhood; I moved around a lot and it was hard making friends.”

With immigrant parents who moved from state to state looking for work, Carpenter and her older siblings attended several different schools.

“I was always picked on and bullied for being the new girl. I was just that kid that had a target on my back,” she said. “But I never let that get me down. Especially as I grew up, and now as an adult. I’m not going to care what people think anymore. I accept myself. I think I speak about my childhood through children’s books.”

Her sons enjoy the book’s illustrations and often giggle at Lucky Ducky’s antics, Carpenter said, but she hopes the moral of the story will sink in.

“That’s what I want to instill in my kids — to be nice to new people,” she said.

Carpenter’s family finally settled in east Fresno around the time she entered fourth grade. She eventually went to Roosevelt High School and then graduated from Fresno High School in 2000. She attended Fresno City College, but is a few credits shy of earning a degree.

Her past hasn’t stopped her from succeeding.

Carpenter published her second book herself, under the name Traveling Sun Publishing, and expects to release a third book, a collection of children’s poems called “Life of the Traveling Sun,” later this year. Two other rhyming children’s books with animal characters are also in the works.

Both of Carpenter’s books are sold on Amazon, and “Lucky Ducky” is also sold at BarnesandNoble.com. Books can also be purchased through www.facebook.com/AuthorBarbaraCarpenter.

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Clovis mom publishes second children’s book."