The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen

The large egg produces a large creature that doesn't really look like a duck. “In this retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, a mother duck hatches four small eggs and a large one. When the duckling grows up, he sees he is also a beautiful swan. The duck is made fun of the entire book, but eventually finds his own way. The mama is told repeatedly to leave the duck behind, but she tries to raise it. Opening line/sentence: “Summer breezes rippled the green grass.”īrief Book Summary: A duck is born to a family that is not the same as the others. I could have students discuss why the Ugly Duckling felt sad everywhere he went and what they would do if they came across the Ugly Duckling. I think it could be used when talking about bullying. I have always like the story of the Ugly Duckling. When it was finally revealed that he was a swan the author described him as the most beautiful swan of them all.Ĭlassroom Integration: I might use this version or the original version when discussing fairy tales. The ugly duckling was gray and big unlike the other ducklings. Word Choice: The author used a lot of descriptive words to show how the ugly duckling didn't quite fit in. Finally in the spring his feathers changed colors and he found out he wasn't a duck but a beautiful Swan.Ĭharacteristics that support the genre: This is the retelling of the classic fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson. Book Summary: The Ugly Duckling was sad because he didn't fit in with his family or any other place he went.

The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen