book report ugly duckling

A Summary and Analysis of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Ugly Duckling’ Fairy Tale

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Hans Christian Andersen’s influence on the fairy tale genre was profound. Although ‘ The Snow Queen ’, ‘ The Emperor’s New Clothes ’, ‘ The Little Mermaid ’, and ‘The Ugly Duckling’ have the ring of timeless fairy stories, they were all original tales written by the Danish storyteller in the mid-nineteenth century.

First published in 1843, ‘The Ugly Duckling’ is one of the most celebrated of all of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. But what does this story mean?

‘The Ugly Duckling’: plot summary

Before we offer some words of analysis, it might be worth summarising the plot of ‘The Ugly Duckling’.

‘The Ugly Duckling’, in summary, tells of a mother duck, whose eggs are hatching. The last of her baby birds to hatch is a larger bird than the other ducklings, and the other birds – and the other animals around on the farm – consider it to be ‘ugly’. They mock and vilify him, and he leaves his mother and siblings behind.

He encounters some wild geese (technically, ganders as they are male birds, strutting about), and narrowly avoids being killed when hunters turn up with guns and dogs and shoot the geese.

The ugly duckling keeps wandering, until he arrives at the home of an old woman. Here, once again, he isn’t there long before he is taunted and abused by the woman’s cat and hen: the hen dismisses the ugly duckling’s longing to glide upon the water, saying that she (the hen) is cleverer than him and it’s a stupid idea. Once more, the ugly duckling leaves and continues on his way.

The ugly duckling comes upon a flock of swans, and longs to join them, but he is unable to fly. He is delighted and excited, but he cannot join them, for he is too young and cannot fly. The duckling endures a harsh winter in a cave, and when spring arrives, he sees a flock of swans gliding on the lake.

The miserable duckling has given up on life by this point, and decides to throw himself into the path of the large swans and be killed, so he cannot be abused and rejected for being ‘ugly’ any more. But – surprise, surprise – the swans don’t devour him but instead welcome him with open arms (or wings) as one of their own.

And when the ugly duckling catches sight of his own reflection in the water, he realises he is not an ugly duckling any more, but a beautiful, elegant swan. Having realised his beauty and found his family, this majestic swan takes flight with the flock of swans, happy at last.

That’s a brief summary of the story of the ugly duckling, but if you want to read the tale in full, you can find a good translation here .

‘The Ugly Duckling’: analysis

Of course, the twist in the story is that its title turns out to be erroneous and inaccurate: the ‘duckling’ is not a duck at all, but a cygnet, i.e. a young swan. When Andersen first came up with the story in 1842, he planned on calling it ‘The Young Swans’, but decided that the surprise twist should be kept back until the end of the story.

We are to presume (though Andersen’s story doesn’t state as much) that the ‘ugly duckling’ hatched from a swan’s egg that had accidentally ended up in the mother duck’s nest.

Indeed, this aspect of the tale has led to some biographical speculation, including the (rather fanciful) idea that Andersen was drawing on the recent revelation that he had been a changeling as a baby, and that he was actually the illegitimate son of Prince Christian Frederik, who later became King Christian VIII of Denmark.

This is unlikely to be true, but then, with fairy tales, Freudian and biographical interpretations (where the author of the fairy tale is known) are as inevitable as death and taxes.

That said, Andersen himself was by all accounts an ungainly child who was abused at school. He later said his schooldays were the darkest of his entire life, and we can speculate (though it is only speculation) that Andersen’s own experiences as a boy fed into ‘The Ugly Duckling’.

‘The Ugly Duckling’ has, like Andersen’s invention of the ‘emperor’s new clothes’, entered everyday speech and common use. The tale has become a symbol and a shorthand for the spurned outsider whose virtues are ignored by the world, only for them to transform into a successful person at a later date.

The short tale can be read, variously, as a moral fable about the short-sightedness of dismissing someone for their perceived lack of conventional ‘beauty’ or for ‘not fitting in’, or as a story celebrating the value of perseverance. Not everyone in the world will necessarily welcome you with open arms, but there’s a ‘family’ or group for everyone.

At least, that’s one way to analyse the tale – but is its meaning actually a little more complex than its straightforward plot, and seemingly straightforward moral, suggest?

Well, perhaps there’s a little more to it than that. Andersen’s fairy stories are remarkable in the genre for not shying away from the harsh realities of life: people aren’t going to like you (‘The Ugly Duckling’), the one you love isn’t necessarily going to love you back and there’s nothing you can do about it (‘The Little Mermaid’), and often evil or manipulative people get away with it and avoid punishment (‘The Snow Queen’).

And although ‘The Ugly Duckling’ ends happily, and with a far more conventional happy ending than Andersen’s fairy tales often have, it is actually not about acceptance.

Or rather, it is about the protagonist’s acceptance that most people don’t like him, rather than the world’s acceptance of him . If anything, the story is an acknowledgment of the tribalism and lack of acceptance that is an inevitable feature of human society, rather than a resolution of this depressing feature.

Or, to put it another way, the happy resolution to the story is a result of sheer fluke – that the ‘ugly duckling’ was, essentially, a changeling. This doesn’t make ‘The Ugly Duckling’ an unusual fairy tale by any means: it’s the equivalent of the poor orphan girl discovering she’s really the princess, or the kitchen boy discovering he’s heir to the throne.

But it does remind us that Andersen’s work is shot through with a melancholic streak which keeps in mind the misery the lies just under many people’s daily lives. If that title had not been a misnomer and the ugly duckling had just grown up to be an ugly and misshapen duck, no happy ending would have been possible.

1 thought on “A Summary and Analysis of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Ugly Duckling’ Fairy Tale”

Dickens apparently loathed Andersen (an immovable house guest) so much that Dickens exacted revenge by basing Uriah Heep on him.

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The Ugly Duckling Summary

Hans Christian Andersen

The Ugly Duckling is a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. This is one of the world's best-known fairy tales about the ugly duckling who, after many sufferings and troubles due to his ugliness, discovers that he's a beautiful swan.

Further study The Ugly Duckling Book The Ugly Duckling Analysis The Ugly Duckling Characters Hans Christian Andersen Biography

On a beautiful summer day in the country, the haystack piled upon the meadows, the green oats, and the golden corn looked stunning. The stork wandered about on his long red legs talking in the Egyptian language, which he had learned from his mother. The meadows and cornfields were enclosed by immense forests hiding deep pools.

Close by a river, in a bright spot stood a lovely old farmhouse. And down to the waterside grew a thick burdock in which sat a duck on her nest. She was waiting for her children to hatch. Although she was beginning to be a bit tired of just sitting on eggs, she knew it was worth the wait. The other ducks liked to come to visit her, sit under a burdock leaf, and gossip with her. First, one eggshell cracked, and then another. From each egg came a small duck that cried "Peep, peep" . To each, the mother duck replied with "Quack, quack" , and they all started quacking as much as they could. Since everything was new to them they were looking around themselves and were fascinated with big green leaves.

Mother duck allowed them to look at the leaves as much as they wanted because she thought that green is good for the baby's eyes. Young ducks were mesmerized by how large the world is, but the mother duck told them that the world is much bigger and to wait to see the garden.

"How large the world is," said the young ducks, when they found how much more room they now had than while they were inside the egg-shell. "Do you imagine this is the whole world?" asked the mother; "Wait till you have seen the garden; it stretches far beyond that to the parson's field, but I have never ventured to such a distance."

She was looking around asking if all ducks are out but noticed that the largest egg still lies uncracked. She was wondering how long it would last for this duckling to hatch as she was tired of it. She went back to her place sitting on a nest until the big egg hatched.

An old duck came to see the little ducklings and asked how she was doing and the mother duck said that one egg is still not hatched. She was looking at her ducklings and asked the old duck if these are not the prettiest little ducklings she has ever seen. They look a lot like their father who never visits them.

The old duck asked the mother duck to see the egg that will not break and that she thinks this is a turkey's egg. One time she was convinced that she found duck's eggs and after all her trouble and care, the little ducklings were afraid of the water and didn't know how to quack. but soon she realized these were little turkeys, not ducklings. She looked at the mother duck's egg and said that this is a turkey's egg and advised her to leave it and go and teach her hatched ducklings to swim.

She said she will sit on it a little while longer as she has sat so long already, and a few days will mean nothing to her. The old duck said she can please herself and left.

Soon, the bigger egg cracked, and a young one lurked crying "Peep, peep" . Mother duck saw it was ugly and very large, not like all the other ducklings, and wondered if it really was a turkey. She concluded that soon she will find out, but now has to teach her young ones to swim.

The next day the weather was pleasant, and the sun was even more bright than the day before, so the mother duck took her ducklings down to the lake to teach them how to swim. As soon as she jumped into the water, little ducklings jumped in. The water was over their heads, but each swam prettily. The ugly duckling was also swimming in the water with them.

Seeing that the ugly duckling is swimming the mother duck thought that this can't be a turkey as it's swimming with other ducklings.

"Oh," said the mother, "that is not a turkey; how well he uses his legs, and how upright he holds himself! He is my own child, and he is not so very ugly after all if you look at him properly.

The mother duckling took their young ones to introduce them to the society, the farm animals but she warned them to keep close to her or they might be stamped upon and to watch themselves from the cat.

When they came to the yard, there was a great noise. Two families were fighting over some food that was, in the end, eaten by a cat. The mother duck told her ducklings that this is the world and to hurry so she can see how well they behave in society. She taught them to bow their heads as they were going to see the old duck. She had Spanish blood and was one of the most important animals here. She had a red flag on her leg which meant that she was important and that the farmer would be upset if he lost her. Mother duck called them to spread their feet wide and bow to the old duck.

The ducklings did as their mother told them, while other ducks in the yard stared. One of the ducks said that the young ones are coming as if there's not enough of them already, especially looking at the ugly duckling. The duck said that they don't need ugly ducklings here and bit him in the neck. But his mother protected him and told the duck to leave her little duckling alone.

The duck stated that her little duckling is big and ugly and that it must be turned out. The old duck said that she has beautiful children, except for that one ugly duckling. She requested his mother to improve him a little bit, but the mother duck told her that it can't be done as the young one already behaves well and swims better than the other ducklings.

The old duck said that the other ducklings are pretty enough and sent the mother duck and her children home.

But over time, all animals on the farm teased the ugly duckling and made fun of him saying he was too big and too ugly. The old turkey cock who thought of himself as the leader of the farm flew at the ugly duckling. He was so scared that he didn't know where to go. He was miserable and sad because he was mocked by the entire whole yard, even his brothers and sisters. In the end, her mother was also so miserable that she said she wished he had never been born.

"...that the poor little thing did not know where to go, and was quite miserable because he was so ugly and laughed at by the whole farmyard. So it went on from day to day till it got worse and worse. The poor duckling was driven about by every one; even his brothers and sisters were unkind to him, and would say, "Ah, you ugly creature, I wish the cat would get you," and his mother said she wished he had never been born."

The ducks bit him all the time while the chickens punched him as he was passing by, and the girl who took care of the poultry kicked him. He was so miserable he decided to run away.

"They are afraid of me because I am ugly," he said.

He flew far away from the farm until he came to the lake which he believed was a big mirror. He stayed there through the night feeling sorrowful and tired.

In the morning, he saw the wild ducks flying above him and asked them what sort of ducks they were. The wild ducks surrounded him and the ugly duckling bowed to them. They all said he was terribly ugly, but that it doesn't matter as long as he marries another duck.

They were pitying him as the duckling didn't know anything about marriage. All he wanted was permission to drink some water and lie among the rushes. After two days, came two wild geese who asked him if he would go with them to another moor with lots of pretty wild geese he could marry. If he's lucky enough, he'll find a wife.

Suddenly, they heard a loud sound, and two wild geese fell to the ground. The sound started coming from all directions as some sportsmen encircled the moor, with a few dogs bounded in among the rushes. The poor duckling was terrified.

He tried to hide his head under his wing when a large dog passed right near him. He saw big jaws open and eyes that flashed fearfully. He pushed his nose closer to the duckling, revealing his sharp teeth, and then turned around and went into the water without even hurting him. The ugly duckling was so thankful that the dog didn't bite him.

"Oh," sighed the duckling, "how thankful I am for being so ugly; even a dog will not bite me."

So he lay there still until he couldn't hear shots. It was late when all became quiet, but even then he didn't dare to move. He remained still and quiet for several hours, and then, after looking carefully around him, hurried away as fast as he could. He ran over the meadow and field until a storm started. He couldn't struggle against it, so he decided to look for shelter.

Finally, he reached a small cottage that seemed like it was going to crash any second, but as the storm continued, the duckling didn't have any place to go, so he sat down by the cottage. Soon, he saw that the cottage door was not fully closed and that there was a little opening near the bottom that was big enough for the duckling to slip through. He entered the little opening very quietly, so he got a safer shelter for the night.

In the cottage lived a woman, a hen, and a tom cat. The woman called the tom cat "my little son" as he was her favorite and the hen "chickie short legs" as it had very short legs. The woman loved her as she laid big eggs and didn't have any children so she considered a tom cat and a hen her children.

In the morning, they discovered the ugly visitor and the hen began to cluck, and the tom cat purred. The old woman asked what that noise was about. She looked around the room, but she couldn't see anything, so when she saw the duckling she thought it was a fat duck that had strayed from home.

She was happy as if she had won some prize and hoped it was not a drake, because then she'll have drake's eggs. So, she decided to wait and see. The duckling was allowed to stay for three weeks, but there were no eggs. Now the cat was the master of the house and the hen its mistress, and they always said, "We and the world," because they believed they were half the world and the better half. Duck thought others might have a different opinion on the subject, but the hen didn't want to hear such suspicions.

She asked him if he could lay eggs, but he said he couldn't. The hen told him he better has his mouth shut then. The cat asked him if he can raise his back, spin, or eject sparks, but the duckling said he can't and the cat told him he has no right to express an opinion when reasonable people speak. So the duck sat in the corner, feeling very faint, until the sun and fresh air entered the room through the open door, and then he began to feel such a great longing to bathe in the water, that he could not help telling the hen.

She told him it's an absurd idea as if he has nothing else to do, so he has stupid fantasies. The duckling said that it's so wonderful to swim in the water and so refreshing to feel it close to your head as he dives to the bottom. The hen told him he was mad and to ask the cat, as he is the smartest animal she knows. To ask him how he would like to swim in the water, or dive under it because she will not talk about her opinion; or to ask their mistress, the old woman - as there is no one in the world smarter than her.

The ugly duckling told the hen they don't understand him, but she asked who can understand him and if he considers himself smarter than a cat or an old woman. She won't say anything about herself, but that she won't tolerate such nonsense. He should be thankful for the happiness that he received here. She also asked him if he wasn't in a warm room, and in a company from which he can learn something. That he's nothing but a chatterbox and his company is not very pleasant. She can tell him embarrassing truths, but it is proof of her friendship, so she advised him to lay eggs and learn to spin as soon as possible.

The duck said he then had to go into the world again and the hen told him to do so. So the little duckling left their house and after some time found water where he could dive and swim, but all the other animals avoided him because of his ugly appearance.

Autumn came, and the leaves in the woods turned orange and gold. Then, as winter approached, the wind caught the leaves as they fell and spun them in the cold air. Clouds, heavy with hail and snowflakes, hung low in the sky, and a raven stood on a fern and cried "Croak, croak." It was all very sad for the poor little duckling.

One evening, just as the sun was setting in the shining clouds, a large flock of beautiful birds emerged from the bushes. The duck has never seen anything like them before. They were swans, and they bent their graceful necks, while their soft feathers showed a radiant whiteness. They spread their glorious wings and flew from those cold lands to warmer countries across the sea. As they rose higher and higher into the air, the ugly little duckling felt a rather strange feeling as he watched them. He spun in the water like a wheel, stretched his neck toward them, and let out such a strange scream that he frightened himself. When they finally disappeared from his sight, he dived under the water and rose again, almost beside himself with excitement.

He didn't know the names of these birds, nor where they flew, but he felt for them as he had never felt for any other bird in the world. He didn't envy them, but he wanted to be as beautiful as they were. Poor ugly creature, how he would have liked to live with ducks if only they had encouraged him. The winter was getting colder and colder; he had to swim in the water so as not to freeze, but every night the space where he swam became smaller and smaller. Eventually, it froze so hard that the ice in the water crackled as he moved, and the duck had to paddle with his feet as hard as he could so as not to close the space. He finally became exhausted, lying still and helpless, firmly frozen in the ice.

Early in the morning a peasant, who was passing by, saw what had happened. He broke the ice with his wooden shoe and took the duck home to his wife. The heat revived the poor little creature; but when the children wanted to play with him, they thought they would do him some harm; so he flinched in fright, flew to the milk jug, and sprayed the milk around the room. Then the woman clapped her hands, which scared him even more. First, he flew into the barrel of butter, then into the tub with the meal, and out again. He made such a mess. The woman screamed and hit him with pliers; the children laughed and rolled over each other, trying to catch him; but luckily he escaped.

It would be very sad to recount all the misery and destitution that the poor little duck suffered during the severe winter; but when he had passed, he found himself one morning lying in the swamp, among the rushes. He felt the warm sun shining, heard the lark singing, and noticed that a beautiful spring came.

Then the young duck felt his wings were so much stronger than before. He swung them and soared high into the air. His wings carried him on until he found himself in a large garden. The apples were in full bloom and everything looked beautiful, in the freshness of early spring. Three beautiful white swans emerged from the nearby rush, rustling their feathers and swimming slowly over the smooth water. The duck remembered the beautiful birds and felt strangely unhappy.

He decided he would fly to those royal birds and even though he thought they would kill him for being so ugly, he dared to approach them. He thought it's better to be killed than to be bitten by ducks, beaten by chickens, kicked by a girl who feeds poultry or starved in winter.

"I will fly to those royal birds," he exclaimed, "and they will kill me, because I am so ugly, and dare to approach them; but it does not matter: better be killed by them than pecked by the ducks, beaten by the hens, pushed about by the maiden who feeds the poultry, or starved with hunger in the winter."

Then he flew towards the beautiful swans. The moment they saw the stranger, they spread their wings to meet him.

He told them to kill him and bowed his head on the surface of the water as he was waiting for death.

But in the clear stream below he saw his own image. He was no longer a dark, gray bird, ugly and unpleasant to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan. Now he felt happy that he had suffered sorrow and all the trouble, for it had enabled him to enjoy all the pleasures and happiness around him so much better; for the great swans swam round the newcomer and stroked his neck with their beaks, as a welcome.

Some small children immediately came to the garden and threw bread and cake into the water. A small boy rushed to his mother and father to tell them a new swan had arrived. Then they threw more bread and cakes into the water and said that the new one is the most beautiful of all as he is so young. The old swans also bowed their heads before the ugly duckling who was no longer ugly nor a duck.

"See," cried the youngest, "there is a new one;" and the rest were delighted, and ran to their father and mother, dancing and clapping their hands, and shouting joyously, "There is another swan come; a new one has arrived."

He was quite embarrassed and hid his head under his lap; because he didn't know what to do, he was so happy, and yet not at all proud. He was persecuted and despised for his ugliness, and now he heard them say he was the most beautiful of all swans. Even the elder in front of him bent its bows into the water, and the sun shone warm and bright.

He rustled his feathers, bent his slender neck, and joyfully cried out from the depths of his heart as he never dreamed of such happiness while he was an ugly duckling.

"I never dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an ugly duckling."

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The Ugly Duckling

By hans christian andersen.

Enjoy our complete collection of Short Stories for Children

Return to the Hans Christian Andersen library , or . . . Read the next short story; The Wicked Prince

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The Ugly Duckling

Hans christian andersen , jerry pinkney ( illustrator ).

40 pages, Hardcover

First published November 11, 1843

About the author

Hans Christian Andersen

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It is only with the heart that one can see clearly, for the most essential things are invisible to the eye.

🐣 I gave it 5 stars because the story touches my soul. I lived the experience of feeling “different” in Catholic school, wanting something but not deserving it ä la a girlfriend. Eventually I’ve realized that I’m better off single! What matters in life is NOT your identity, but what you do to make a difference. 🤓

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“The Ugly Duckling”, analysis of the tale by Hans Christian Andersen

History of creation

The tale “The Ugly Duckling” was written in 1843 by Andersen and published in the collection New Tales. Literary scholars believe that the tale is autobiographical. The ugly duckling is young Andersen, who had an extravagant appearance: he was thin and clumsy, so that many aroused pity and a desire to help. Three trials of the ugly duckling are associated with the three stages of Andersen’s life. In Odense’s hometown, his mother sent him to a Jewish school for poor children, where there were no corporal punishment, but the boy there felt like a stranger. Aviary – allegory of Copenhagen. There, the young ugly Andersen caused only ridicule, because he wanted to become an actor. He experienced the same ridicule in the prestigious schools of Slagels and Elsinore, where he was arranged at government expense by well-wishers. After all, Andersen was 6 years older than classmates, that is, big and awkward, like an ugly duckling. He was very upset by the rector’s attacks, just as the ugly duckling was afraid of a warlike Native American rooster in the poultry yard.

Andersen’s biographers associate the life of a duckling in a hut with an old woman, a cat and a chicken with the relations of the young man with the family of his patron, financier under King Frederick 6 Jonas Collin.

When analyzing a fairy tale it is wrong to rely on the bibliographic method. Although there are similarities with the writer’s biography, such an interpretation of the tale is primitive. The tale does not boil down to the claim that Andersen became a great storyteller, although no one expected it.

Literary direction and genre

The tale “The Ugly Duckling” is written according to the laws of a romantic direction. The hero is lonely and opposed to the whole world, is not understood by anyone and does not even understand his value. The beauty of the white swans seems to the ugly duckling distant and unattainable. But at the end of the tale, the Ugly Duckling does not turn into a lone white swan, but connects with brothers and is accepted by them. Of course, swans are not accepted by the poultry yard (that is, the romantic hero is not understood by the inhabitants), but they do not need it. But people see the beauty of swans and recognize it. They play in the fairy tale the role of the ancient gods, who suddenly noticed the beauty and noted it, announced the truth that the inhabitants would accept.

The ugly duckling genre is an author’s tale. But it is more like not a fairy tale about animals, but a philosophical parable. All the heroes of the tale are allegories, but if in the fairy tale about animals the hero is an allegory of quality (fox – cunning, hare – cowardice), then in “The Ugly Duckling” the heroes represent a certain human type, a certain fate.

Subject, main idea and problems

The theme of the tale is the acquisition of the meaning of life and its place in society. The main idea is that the truth will still be revealed. The ugly duckling will inevitably turn into a white swan if he avoids many dangers on his life’s journey. There is no ugliness in the world. Happiness and acceptance are the normal state of living things.

The problems of the tale are social and philosophical. Andersen with irony and even sarcasm depicts a society of townsfolk, philistines who are unable to see beyond his nose and jump above his head. At the same time, the philosophical thought of the fairy tale is deep: it is better to die, fulfilling its purpose in its place, than to endure hardship, living according to the meager laws of the townsfolk, providing not a bright life, but a miserable existence.

The plot and composition

The tale begins with a summer landscape and with an exclamation sentence: “It was good outside the city!” This is the author’s point of view. Emotionally, the ending echoes the beginning of the tale: “Could I dream of such happiness …” This is the thought of an ugly duckling, who came in harmony with the whole world.

On the way to this harmony, the ugly duckling undergoes many trials. His birthplace is a thicket of burdock. As befits a romantic hero, the ugly duckling brings troubles to the immediate environment even before birth, because its egg is ugly large, and it takes longer to incubate. A mother reconciles a duck with an ugly son only because he is not a turkey, because he swims beautifully.

The first test of the duckling takes place in the poultry yard. This is “socialization”: ducklings comprehend the laws of society. And these laws are crazy from the point of view of the narrator: two families fight for the acne head that goes to the cat, the duck with the red shred on the foot is the most important, and you need to pay the same acne heads. Andersen devalues power and money, showing their worthlessness.

The ugly duckling is attacked because it is “big and strange.” He is rejected by society, relatives, even his mother. So the duckling is in the swamp.

The third test is strangers. They no longer laugh at the duckling; they do not care about him. The only concern of wild ducks is that the duckling does not intermarry with them. And the wild geese are even ready to accept the duckling in their company: “You are such a freak that we like us.”

The fourth test of the duckling is a danger not to self-esteem, but to life. Even the enemy (dog) does not attack the duckling, it is so ugly. Here the duckling learns to enjoy his position, he thanks God for his ugliness. There is a final humility with his rejected position.

The fifth test is no longer connected with the appearance, but with the activity of the duckling. Finding himself in a hut with a half-blind old woman, a chicken and a cat, the duckling became convinced of his worthlessness. He does not know how to do two useful things: to lay eggs like a chicken, or to arch his back and purr like a cat. An old woman is an image of blind fate that does not see that a duckling by its nature cannot bear eggs. And the fact that duckling (the ability to swim) is inherent in nature is called by the chicken dope and whim. The duckling does not pass the probationary period of “smart people”, “the best half of the whole world” and leaves.

The next stage in the development of a duckling is a meeting with its ideal – royal birds. The duckling does not associate itself with them. The winter that he experiences thanks to the peasant who warmed him up is the last misfortune of the duckling. His happiness is preceded by a crucial decision: it is better to be killed by swans than to bear the enmity of ducks, chickens, poultry houses and winter cold.

Humility always precedes exaltation.

Seeing the reflection in the water, the swan duckling was able to accept the truth and become happy. Having accepted himself, he turned out to be accepted by both swans and people who recognized him as the most beautiful.

Heroes and images

The first characteristic is given to the gray duckling by the mother: “It is terribly large and completely unlike the others.” If you think about it, greatness and individuality from birth are inherent in this son, only the duck does not know how to appreciate it.

Of course, the self-characteristics of the ugly duckling are related to the attitude of the mother: ugly, a laughing stock for the whole bird’s yard.

For the time being, the mother duck protects her child, because she finds positive qualities in him: “He is ugly, but he has a kind heart, and he swims … better than others.” In addition, the mother hopes that “he will grow up and will push his way.”

But relatives quickly get tired of the unusual duckling: the brothers and sisters want a cat to eat him, and his mother curses him: “My eyes would not see you!” All require the duckling to conform to his own ideas about correctness and decency. Chicken and cat allow duckling to make a choice, but only between laying eggs and arching their backs.

The duckling is an exile; he does not meet either the internal or external requirements of society, so when he sees swans and loves them, he does not envy them and does not dream of being like them. Family and society have achieved their goal: the duckling has lost his dream and goal.

As a truly romantic hero, he decides to approach his ideal even at the cost of life. But, having decided, he finds himself, a society of like-minded people, love and happiness.

Artistic originality

The images of the tale are allegorical and ironic. The irony is manifested in dialogues and author’s assessments. This is a mockery of the society of philistines-inhabitants, which can be read only between the lines. The subtext allows criticizing society. For example, a duck is proud of ducklings because they look like a father. They should be clubfoot, “keep the legs apart and turn them out” only because dad and mom did it. That is, the shortcomings of the parents are repeated in children, and this is considered the norm.

Common truths come from the lips of birds, because stupidity is a social norm: beauty (that is, a man) is not needed to a drake. There are real winged expressions in the fairy tale: “It does not matter to be born in a duck’s nest if you hatched from a swan egg!” The expression “ugly duckling” has become a phraseologism meaning an inconspicuous person, usually a child with unexpected talent.

Fairy Tales and Other Traditional Stories

“the ugly duckling”, by hans christian andersen.

Year Published: 0
Language: English
Country of Origin: Denmark
Source: Hamilton Wright Mabie, ed., Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know
Flesch–Kincaid Level: 3.7
Word Count: 3,964
Genre: Fairy Tale/Folk Tale
Keywords: beauty
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Passage PDF
Student Activity

Andersen, H. (0). “The Ugly Duckling”. Fairy Tales and Other Traditional Stories (Lit2Go Edition). Retrieved April 11, 2024, from https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/68/fairy-tales-and-other-traditional-stories/5107/the-ugly-duckling/

Andersen, Hans Christian. "“The Ugly Duckling”." Fairy Tales and Other Traditional Stories . Lit2Go Edition. 0. Web. https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/68/fairy-tales-and-other-traditional-stories/5107/the-ugly-duckling/ >. April 11, 2024.

Hans Christian Andersen, "“The Ugly Duckling”," Fairy Tales and Other Traditional Stories , Lit2Go Edition, (0), accessed April 11, 2024, https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/68/fairy-tales-and-other-traditional-stories/5107/the-ugly-duckling/ .

It was so glorious out in the country; it was summer; the cornfields were yellow, the oats were green, the hay had been put up in stacks in the green meadows, and the stork went about on his long red legs, and chattered Egyptian, for this was the language he had learned from his good mother. All around the fields and meadows were great forests, and in the midst of these forests lay deep lakes. Yes, it was right glorious out in the country. In the midst of the sunshine there lay an old farm, with deep canals about it, and from the wall down to the water grew great burdocks, so high that little children could stand upright under the loftiest of them. It was just as wild there as in the deepest wood, and here sat a Duck upon her nest; she had to hatch her ducklings; but she was almost tired out before the little ones came and then she so seldom had visitors. The other ducks liked better to swim about in the canals than to run up to sit down under a burdock, and cackle with her.

At last one egg-shell after another burst open. “Piep! piep!” it cried, and in all the eggs there were little creatures that stuck out their heads.

“Quack! quack!” they said; and they all came quacking out as fast as they could, looking all round them under the green leaves; and the mother let them look as much as they chose, for green is good for the eye.

“How wide the world is!” said all the young ones, for they certainly had much more room now than when they were in the eggs.

“D’ye think this is all the world?” said the mother. “That stretches far across the other side of the garden, quite into the parson’s field; but I have never been there yet. I hope you are all together,” and she stood up. “No, I have not all. The largest egg still lies there. How long is that to last? I am really tired of it.” And she sat down again.

“Well, how goes it?” asked an old Duck who had come to pay her a visit.

“It lasts a long time with that one egg,” said the Duck who sat there. “It will not burst. Now, only look at the others; are they not the prettiest little ducks one could possibly see? They are all like their father. The rogue, he never comes to see me.”

“Let me see the egg which will not burst,” said the old visitor. “You may be sure it is a turkey’s egg. I was once cheated in that way, and had much anxiety and trouble with the young ones, for they are afraid of the water. Must I say it to you, I could not get them to venture in. I quacked and I clacked, but it was no use. Let me see the egg. Yes, that’s a turkey’s egg. Let it lie there, and teach the other children to swim.”

“I think I will sit on it a little longer,” said the Duck. “I’ve sat so long now that I can sit a few days more.”

“Just as you please,” said the old Duck; and she went away.

At last the great egg burst. “Piep! piep!” said the little one, and crept forth. It was very large and very ugly. The Duck looked at it.

“It’s a very large duckling,” said she; “none of the others look like that. Can it really be a turkey chick? Well, we shall soon find out. It must go into the water, even if I have to thrust it in myself.”

The next day it was bright, beautiful weather; the sun shone on all the green trees. The Mother-Duck went down to the canal with all her family. Splash! she jumped into the water. “Quack! quack!” she said, and one duckling after another plunged in. The water closed over their heads, but they came up in an instant, and swam capitally; their legs went of themselves, and they were all in the water. The ugly gray Duckling swam with them.

“No, it’s not a turkey,” said she; “look how well it can use its legs, and how straight it holds itself. It is my own child! On the whole it’s quite pretty, if one looks at it rightly. Quack! quack! come with me, and I’ll lead you out into the great world, and present you in the duck-yard; but keep close to me, so that no one may tread on you, and take care of the cats!”

And so they came into the duck-yard. There was a terrible riot going on in there, for two families were quarrelling about an eel’s head, and the cat got it after all.

“See, that’s how it goes in the world!” said the Mother-Duck; and she whetted her beak, for she too wanted the eel’s head. “Only use your legs,” she said. “See that you can bustle about, and bow your heads before the old Duck yonder. She’s the grandest of all here; she’s of Spanish blood—that’s why she’s so fat; and d’ye see? she has a red rag round her leg; that’s something particularly fine, and the greatest distinction a duck can enjoy; it signifies that one does not want to lose her, and that she’s to be known by the animals and by men too. Shake yourselves—don’t turn in your toes; a well brought-up duck turns its toes quite out, just like father and mother—so! Now bend your necks and say ‘Quack!’”

And they did so: but the other ducks round about looked at them, and said quite boldly:

“Look there! now we’re to have these hanging on, as if there were not enough of us already! And—fie!—how that duckling yonder looks; we won’t stand that!” And one duck flew up at it, and bit it in the neck.

“Let it alone,” said the mother; “it does no harm to any one.”

“Yes, but it’s too large and peculiar,” said the Duck who had bitten it; “and therefore it must be put down.”

“Those are pretty children that the mother has there,” said the old Duck with the rag round her leg. “They’re all pretty but that one; that was rather unlucky. I wish she could bear it over again.”

“That cannot be done, my lady,” replied the Mother-Duck. “It is not pretty, but it has a really good disposition, and swims as well as any other; yes, I may even say it, swims better. I think it will grow up pretty, and become smaller in time; it has lain too long in the egg, and therefore is not properly shaped.” And then she pinched it in the neck, and smoothed its feathers. “Moreover, it is a drake,” she said, “and therefore it is not of so much consequence. I think he will be very strong. He makes his way already.”

“The other ducklings are graceful enough,” said the old Duck. “Make yourself at home; and if you find an eel’s head, you may bring it me.”

And now they were at home. But the poor Duckling which had crept last out of the egg, and looked so ugly, was bitten and pushed and jeered, as much by the ducks as by the chickens.

“It is too big!” they all said. And the turkey-cock, who had been born with spurs, and therefore thought himself an emperor, blew himself up like a ship in full sail, and bore straight down upon it; then he gobbled and grew quite red in the face. The poor Duckling did not know where it should stand or walk; it was quite melancholy because it looked ugly, and was the butt of the whole duck-yard.

So it went on the first day; and afterwards it became worse and worse. The poor Duckling was hunted about by every one; even its brothers and sisters were quite angry with it, and said, “If the cat would only catch you, you ugly creature!” And the mother said, “If you were only far away!” And the ducks bit it, and the chickens beat it, and the girl who had to feed the poultry kicked at it with her foot.

Then it ran and flew over the fence, and the little birds in the bushes flew up in fear.

“That is because I am so ugly!” thought the Duckling; and it shut its eyes, but flew on farther, and so it came out into the great moor, where the wild ducks lived. Here it lay the whole night long; and it was weary and downcast.

Towards morning the wild ducks flew up, and looked at their new companion.

“What sort of a one are you?” they asked; and the Duckling turned in every direction, and bowed as well as it could. “You are remarkably ugly!” said the Wild Ducks. “But that is nothing to us, so long as you do not marry into our family.”

Poor thing! It certainly did not think of marrying, and only hoped to obtain leave to lie among the reeds and drink some of the swamp water.

Thus it lay two whole days; then came thither two wild geese, or, properly speaking, two wild ganders. It was not long since each had crept out of an egg, and that’s why they were so saucy.

“Listen, comrade,” said one of them. “You’re so ugly that I like you. Will you go with us, and become a bird of passage? Near here, in another moor, there are a few sweet lovely wild geese, all unmarried, and all able to say ‘Rap!’ You’ve a chance of making your fortune, ugly as you are.”

“Piff! paff!” resounded through the air; and the two ganders fell down dead in the swamp, and the water became blood red. “Piff! paff!” it sounded again, and the whole flock of wild geese rose up from the reeds. And then there was another report. A great hunt was going on. The sportsmen were lying in wait all round the moor, and some were even sitting up in the branches of the trees, which spread far over the reeds. The blue smoke rose up like clouds among the dark trees, and was wafted far away across the water; and the hunting dogs came—splash, splash!—into the swamp, and the rushes and the reeds bent down on every side. That was a fright for the poor Duckling! It turned its head, and put it under its wing; but at that moment a frightful great dog stood close by the Duckling. His tongue hung far out of his mouth, and his eyes gleamed horrible and ugly; he thrust out his nose close against the Duckling, showed his sharp teeth, and—splash, splash!—on he went, without seizing it.

“Oh, Heaven be thanked!” sighed the Duckling. “I am so ugly that even the dog does not like to bite me!”

And so it lay quite quiet, while the shots rattled through the reeds and gun after gun was fired. At last, late in the day, all was still; but the poor Duckling did not dare to rise up; it waited several hours before it looked round, and then hastened away out of the moor as fast as it could. It ran on over field and meadow; there was such a storm raging that it was difficult to get from one place to another.

Towards evening the Duck came to a little miserable peasant’s hut. This hut was so dilapidated that it did not itself know on which side it should fall; and that’s why it remained standing. The storm whistled round the Duckling in such a way that the poor creature was obliged to sit down, to stand against it; and the wind blew worse and worse. Then the Duckling noticed that one of the hinges of the door had given way, and the door hung so slanting that the Duckling could slip through the crack into the room; and that is what it did.

Here lived a woman, with her Cat and her Hen. And the Cat, whom she called Sonnie, could arch his back and purr, he could even give out sparks; but to make him do it one had to stroke his fur the wrong way. The Hen had quite little, short legs, and therefore she was called Chickabiddy Short-shanks. She laid good eggs, and the woman loved her like her own child.

In the morning the strange Duckling was at once noticed, and the Cat began to purr and the Hen to cluck.

“What’s this?” said the woman, and looked all round; but she could not see well, and therefore she thought the Duckling was a fat duck that had strayed. “This is a rare prize!” she said. “Now I shall have duck’s eggs. I hope it is not a drake. We must try that.”

And so the Duckling was admitted on trial for three weeks; but no eggs came. And the Cat was master of the House, and the Hen was the lady, and always said, “We and the world!” for she thought they were half the world, and by far the better half.

The Duckling thought one might have a different opinion, but the Hen would not allow it.

“Can you lay eggs?” she asked.

“No.”

“Then will you hold your tongue!”

And the Cat said, “Can you curve your back, and purr, and give out sparks?”

“Then you will please have no opinion of your own when sensible folks are speaking.”

And the Duckling sat in a corner and was melancholy; then the fresh air and the sunshine streamed in; and it was seized with such a strange longing to swim on the water, that it could not help telling the Hen of it.

“What are you thinking of?” cried the Hen. “You have nothing to do, that’s why you have these fancies. Lay eggs, or purr, and they will pass over.”

“But it is so charming to swim on the water!” said the Duckling, “so refreshing to let it close above one’s head, and to dive down to the bottom.”

“Yes, that must be a mighty pleasure, truly,” quoth the Hen, “I fancy you must have gone crazy. Ask the Cat about it—he’s the cleverest animal I know—ask him if he likes to swim on the water, or to dive down—I won’t speak about myself. Ask our mistress, the old woman; no one in the world is cleverer than she. Do you think she has any desire to swim, and to let the water close above her head?”

“You don’t understand me,” said the Duckling.

“We don’t understand you? Then pray who is to understand you? You surely don’t pretend to be cleverer than the Cat and the woman—I won’t say anything of myself. Don’t be conceited, child, and thank your Maker for all the kindness you have received. Did you not get into a warm room, and have you not fallen into company from which you may learn something? But you are a chatterer, and it is not pleasant to associate with you. You may believe me, I speak for your good. I tell you disagreeable things, and by that one may always know one’s true friends! Only take care that you learn to lay eggs, or to purr, and give out sparks!”

“I think I will go out into the wide world,” said the Duckling.

“Yes, do go,” replied the Hen.

And so the Duckling went away. It swam on the water, and dived, but it was slighted by every creature because of its ugliness.

Now came the autumn. The leaves in the forest turned yellow and brown; the wind caught them so that they danced about, and up in the air it was very cold. The clouds hung low, heavy with hail and snow-flakes, and on the fence stood the raven, crying, “Croak! croak!” for mere cold; yes, it was enough to make one feel cold to think of this. The poor little Duckling certainly had not a good time. One evening—the sun was just setting in his beauty—there came a whole flock of great, handsome birds out of the bushes. They were dazzlingly white, with long, flexible necks—they were swans. They uttered a very peculiar cry, spread forth their glorious great wings, and flew away from that cold region to warmer lands, to fair open lakes. They mounted so high, so high! and the ugly Duckling felt quite strangely as it watched them. It turned round and round in the water like a wheel, stretched out its neck towards them, and uttered such a strange loud cry as frightened itself. Oh! it could not forget those beautiful, happy birds; and so soon as it could see them no longer, it dived down to the very bottom, and when it came up again it was quite beside itself. It knew not the name of those birds, and knew not whither they were flying; but it loved them more than it had ever loved any one. It was not at all envious of them. How could it think of wishing to possess such loveliness as they had? It would have been glad if only the ducks would have endured its company—the poor, ugly creature!

And the winter grew cold, very cold! The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller. It froze so hard that the icy covering crackled again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up. At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice.

Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife. Then it came to itself again. The children wanted to play with it; but the Duckling thought they wanted to hurt it, and in its terror fluttered up into the milk-pan, so that the milk spurted down into the room. The woman clasped her hands, at which the Duckling flew down into the butter-tub, and then into the meal-barrel and out again. How it looked then! The woman screamed, and struck at it with the fire-tongs; the children tumbled over one another in their efforts to catch the Duckling; and they laughed and they screamed!—well it was that the door stood open, and the poor creature was able to slip out between the shrubs into the newly-fallen snow—there it lay quite exhausted.

But it would be too melancholy if I were to tell all the misery and care which the Duckling had to endure in the hard winter. It lay out on the moor among the reeds, when the sun began to shine again and the larks to sing. It was a beautiful spring.

Then all at once the Duckling could flap its wings. They beat the air more strongly than before, and bore it strongly away; and before it well knew how all this happened, it found itself in a great garden, where the elder-trees smelt sweet, and bent their long green branches down to the canal that wound through the region. Oh, here it was so beautiful, such a gladness of spring! and from the thicket came three glorious white swans; they rustled their wings, and swam lightly on the water. The Duckling knew the splendid creatures, and felt oppressed by a peculiar sadness.

“I will fly away to them, to the royal birds, and they will beat me, because I, that am so ugly, dare to come near them. But it is all the same. Better to be killed by them than to be pursued by ducks, and beaten by fowls, and pushed about by the girl who takes care of the poultry yard, and to suffer hunger in winter!” And it flew out into the water, and swam towards the beautiful swans; these looked at it, and came sailing down upon it with outspread wings. “Kill me!” said the poor creature, and bent its head down upon the water, expecting nothing but death. But what was this that it saw in the clear water? It beheld its own image; and, lo! it was no longer a clumsy dark-gray bird, ugly and hateful to look at, but a—swan!

It matters nothing if one is born in a duck-yard if one has only lain in a swan’s egg.

It felt quite glad at all the need and misfortune it had suffered, now it realised its happiness in all the splendour that surrounded it. And the great swans swam round it, and stroked it with their beaks.

Into the garden came little children, who threw bread and corn into the water; and the youngest cried, “There is a new one!” and the other children shouted joyously, “Yes, a new one has arrived!” And they clapped their hands and danced about, and ran to their father and mother; and bread and cake were thrown into the water; and they all said, “The new one is the most beautiful of all! so young and handsome!” and the old swans bowed their heads before him. Then he felt quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wings, for he did not know what to do; he was so happy, and yet not at all proud. He thought how he had been persecuted and despised; and now he heard them saying that he was the most beautiful of all birds. Even the elder-tree bent its branches straight down into the water before him, and the sun shone warm and mild. Then his wings rustled, he lifted his slender neck, and cried rejoicingly from the depths of his heart:

“I never dreamed of so much happiness when I was the Ugly Duckling!”

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The Ugly Duckling

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It was so beautiful in the country. It was the summer time. The wheat fields were golden, the oats were green, and the hay stood in great stacks in the green meadows. The stork paraded about among them on his long red legs, chattering away in Egyptian, the language he had learned from his lady mother.

All around the meadows and cornfields grew thick woods, and in the midst of the forest was a deep lake. Yes, it was beautiful, it was delightful in the country.

In a sunny spot stood a pleasant old farmhouse circled all about with deep canals; and from the walls down to the water’s edge grew great burdocks, so high that under the tallest of them a little child might stand upright. The spot was as wild as if it had been in the very center of the thick wood.

In this snug retreat sat a duck upon her nest, watching for her young brood to hatch; but the pleasure she had felt at first was almost gone; she had begun to think it a wearisome task, for the little ones were so long coming out of their shells, and she seldom had visitors. The other ducks liked much better to swim about in the canals than to climb the slippery banks and sit under the burdock leaves to have a gossip with her. It was a long time to stay so much by herself.

At length, however, one shell cracked, and soon another, and from each came a living creature that lifted its head and cried “Peep, peep.”

“Quack, quack!” said the mother; and then they all tried to say it, too, as well as they could, while they looked all about them on every side at the tall green leaves. Their mother allowed them to look about as much as they liked, because green is good for the eyes.

“What a great world it is, to be sure,” said the little ones, when they found how much more room they had than when they were in the eggshell.

“Is this all the world, do you imagine?” said the mother. “Wait till you have seen the garden. Far beyond that it stretches down to the pastor’s field, though I have never ventured to such a distance. Are you all out?” she continued, rising to look. “No, not all; the largest egg lies there yet, I declare. I wonder how long this business is to last. I’m really beginning to be tired of it;” but for all that she sat down again.

“Well, and how are you to-day?” quacked an old duck who came to pay her a visit.

“There’s one egg that takes a deal of hatching. The shell is hard and will not break,” said the fond mother, who sat still upon her nest. “But just look at the others. Have I not a pretty family? Are they not the prettiest little ducklings you ever saw? They are the image of their father—the good for naught! He never comes to see me.”

“Let me see the egg that will not break,” said the old duck. “I’ve no doubt it’s a Guinea fowl’s egg. The same thing happened to me once, and a deal of trouble it gave me, for the young ones are afraid of the water. I quacked and clucked, but all to no purpose. Let me take a look at it. Yes, I am right; it’s a Guinea fowl, upon my word; so take my advice and leave it where it is. Come to the water and teach the other children to swim.”

“I think I will sit a little while longer,” said the mother. “I have sat so long, a day or two more won’t matter.”

“Very well, please yourself,” said the old duck, rising; and she went away.

At last the great egg broke, and the latest bird cried “Peep, peep,” as he crept forth from the shell. How big and ugly he was! The mother duck stared at him and did not know what to think. “Really,” she said, “this is an enormous duckling, and it is not at all like any of the others. I wonder if he will turn out to be a Guinea fowl. Well, we shall see when we get to the water—for into the water he must go, even if I have to push him in myself.”

On the next day the weather was delightful. The sun shone brightly on the green burdock leaves, and the mother duck took her whole family down to the water and jumped in with a splash. “Quack, quack!” cried she, and one after another the little ducklings jumped in. The water closed over their heads, but they came up again in an instant and swam about quite prettily, with their legs paddling under them as easily as possible; their legs went of their own accord; and the ugly gray-coat was also in the water, swimming with them.

“Oh,” said the mother, “that is not a Guinea fowl. See how well he uses his legs, and how erect he holds himself! He is my own child, and he is not so very ugly after all, if you look at him properly. Quack, quack! come with me now. I will take you into grand society and introduce you to the farmyard, but you must keep close to me or you may be trodden upon; and, above all, beware of the cat.”

When they reached the farmyard, there was a wretched riot going on; two families were fighting for an eel’s head, which, after all, was carried off by the cat. “See, children, that is the way of the world,” said the mother duck, whetting her beak, for she would have liked the eel’s head herself. “Come, now, use your legs, and let me see how well you can behave. You must bow your heads prettily to that old duck yonder; she is the highest born of them all and has Spanish blood; therefore she is well off.

Don’t you see she has a red rag tied to her leg, which is something very grand and a great honor for a duck; it shows that every one is anxious not to lose her, and that she is to be noticed by both man and beast. Come, now, don’t turn in your toes; a well-bred duckling spreads his feet wide apart, just like his father and mother, in this way; now bend your necks and say ‘Quack!'”

The ducklings did as they were bade, but the other ducks stared, and said, “Look, here comes another brood—as if there were not enough of us already! And bless me, what a queer-looking object one of them is; we don’t want him here”; and then one flew out and bit him in the neck.

“Let him alone,” said the mother; “he is not doing any harm.”

“Yes, but he is so big and ugly. He’s a perfect fright,” said the spiteful duck, “and therefore he must be turned out. A little biting will do him good.”

“The others are very pretty children,” said the old duck with the rag on her leg, “all but that one. I wish his mother could smooth him up a bit; he is really ill-favored.”

“That is impossible, your grace,” replied the mother. “He is not pretty, but he has a very good disposition and swims as well as the others or even better. I think he will grow up pretty, and perhaps be smaller. He has remained too long in the egg, and therefore his figure is not properly formed;” and then she stroked his neck and smoothed the feathers, saying: “It is a drake, and therefore not of so much consequence. I think he will grow up strong and able to take care of himself.”

“The other ducklings are graceful enough,” said the old duck. “Now make yourself at home, and if you find an eel’s head you can bring it to me.”

And so they made themselves comfortable; but the poor duckling who had crept out of his shell last of all and looked so ugly was bitten and pushed and made fun of, not only by the ducks but by all the poultry.

“He became quite red in the head with passion, so that the poor little thing did not know where to go, and was quite miserable because he was so ugly as to be laughed at by the whole farmyard.” Illustration by Milo Winter. Published in Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen (1916), Rand McNally and Company.

“He is too big,” they all said; and the turkey cock, who had been born into the world with spurs and fancied himself really an emperor, puffed himself out like a vessel in full sail and flew at the duckling. He became quite red in the head with passion, so that the poor little thing did not know where to go, and was quite miserable because he was so ugly as to be laughed at by the whole farmyard.

So it went on from day to day; it got worse and worse. The poor duckling was driven about by every one; even his brothers and sisters were unkind to him and would say, “Ah, you ugly creature, I wish the cat would get you” and his mother had been heard to say she wished he had never been born. The ducks pecked him, the chickens beat him, and the girl who fed the poultry pushed him with her feet. So at last he ran away, frightening the little birds in the hedge as he flew over the palings. “They are afraid because I am so ugly,” he said. So he flew still farther, until he came out on a large moor inhabited by wild ducks. Here he remained the whole night, feeling very sorrowful.

In the morning, when the wild ducks rose in the air, they stared at their new comrade. “What sort of a duck are you?” they all said, coming round him.

He bowed to them and was as polite as he could be, but he did not reply to their question. “You are exceedingly ugly,” said the wild ducks; “but that will not matter if you do not want to marry one of our family.”

Poor thing! he had no thoughts of marriage; all he wanted was permission to lie among the rushes and drink some of the water on the moor. After he had been on the moor two days, there came two wild geese, or rather goslings, for they had not been out of the egg long, which accounts for their impertinence. “Listen, friend,” said one of them to the duckling; “you are so ugly that we like you very well. Will you go with us and become a bird of passage? Not far from here is another moor, in which there are some wild geese, all of them unmarried. It is a chance for you to get a wife. You may make your fortune, ugly as you are.”

“Bang, bang,” sounded in the air, and the two wild geese fell dead among the rushes, and the water was tinged with blood. “Bang, bang,” echoed far and wide in the distance, and whole flocks of wild geese rose up from the rushes.

The sound continued from every direction, for the sportsmen surrounded the moor, and some were even seated on branches of trees, overlooking the rushes. The blue smoke from the guns rose like clouds over the dark trees, and as it floated away across the water, a number of sporting dogs bounded in among the rushes, which bent beneath them wherever they went.

How they terrified the poor duckling! He turned away his head to hide it under his wing, and at the same moment a large, terrible dog passed quite near him. His jaws were open, his tongue hung from his mouth, and his eyes glared fearfully. He thrust his nose close to the duckling, showing his sharp teeth, and then “splash, splash,” he went into the water, without touching him.

“Oh,” sighed the duckling, “how thankful I am for being so ugly; even a dog will not bite me.”

And so he lay quite still, while the shot rattled through the rushes, and gun after gun was fired over him. It was late in the day before all became quiet, but even then the poor young thing did not dare to move. He waited quietly for several hours and then, after looking carefully around him, hastened away from the moor as fast as he could. He ran over field and meadow till a storm arose, and he could hardly struggle against it.

Towards evening he reached a poor little cottage that seemed ready to fall, and only seemed to remain standing because it could not decide on which side to fall first. The storm continued so violent that the duckling could go no farther. He sat down by the cottage, and then he noticed that the door was not quite closed, in consequence of one of the hinges having given way. There was, therefore, a narrow opening near the bottom large enough for him to slip through, which he did very quietly, and got a shelter for the night. Here, in this cottage, lived a woman, a cat, and a hen.

“Here, in this cottage, lived a woman, a cat, and a hen.” Illustration by Eleanor Vere Boyle. Published in Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen (1872), Sampson, Low, Marsten, Low and Searle.

The cat, whom his mistress called “My little son,” was a great favorite; he could raise his back, and purr, and could even throw out sparks from his fur if it were stroked the wrong way. The hen had very short legs, so she was called “Chickie Short-legs.” She laid good eggs, and her mistress loved her as if she had been her own child. In the morning the strange visitor was discovered; the cat began to purr and the hen to cluck.

“What is that noise about?” said the old woman, looking around the room. But her sight was not very good; therefore when she saw the duckling she thought it must be a fat duck that had strayed from home. “Oh, what a prize!” she exclaimed. “I hope it is not a drake, for then I shall have some ducks’ eggs. I must wait and see.”

So the duckling was allowed to remain on trial for three weeks; but there were no eggs.

Now the cat was the master of the house, and the hen was the mistress; and they always said, “We and the world,” for they believed themselves to be half the world, and by far the better half, too. The duckling thought that others might hold a different opinion on the subject, but the hen would not listen to such doubts.

“Can you lay eggs?” she asked. “No.” “Then have the goodness to cease talking.” “Can you raise your back, or purr, or throw out sparks?” said the cat. “No.” “Then you have no right to express an opinion when sensible people are speaking.” So the duckling sat in a corner, feeling very low-spirited; but when the sunshine and the fresh air came into the room through the open door, he began to feel such a great longing for a swim that he could not help speaking of it.

“What an absurd idea!” said the hen. “You have nothing else to do; therefore you have foolish fancies. If you could purr or lay eggs, they would pass away.”

“But it is so delightful to swim about on the water,” said the duckling, “and so refreshing to feel it close over your head while you dive down to the bottom.”

“Delightful, indeed! it must be a queer sort of pleasure,” said the hen. “Why, you must be crazy! Ask the cat—he is the cleverest animal I know; ask him how he would like to swim about on the water, or to dive under it, for I will not speak of my own opinion. Ask our mistress, the old woman; there is no one in the world more clever than she is. Do you think she would relish swimming and letting the water close over her head?”

“I see you don’t understand me,” said the duckling.

“We don’t understand you? Who can understand you, I wonder? Do you consider yourself more clever than the cat or the old woman?—I will say nothing of myself. Don’t imagine such nonsense, child, and thank your good fortune that you have been so well received here. Are you not in a warm room and in society from which you may learn something? But you are a chatterer, and your company is not very agreeable. Believe me, I speak only for your good. I may tell you unpleasant truths, but that is a proof of my friendship. I advise you, therefore, to lay eggs and learn to purr as quickly as possible.”

“I believe I must go out into the world again,” said the duckling.

“Yes, do,” said the hen. So the duckling left the cottage and soon found water on which it could swim and dive, but he was avoided by all other animals because of his ugly appearance.

Autumn came, and the leaves in the forest turned to orange and gold; then, as winter approached, the wind caught them as they fell and whirled them into the cold air. The clouds, heavy with hail and snowflakes, hung low in the sky, and the raven stood among the reeds, crying, “Croak, croak.” It made one shiver with cold to look at him. All this was very sad for the poor little duckling.

One evening, just as the sun was setting amid radiant clouds, there came a large flock of beautiful birds out of the bushes. The duckling had never seen any like them before. They were swans; and they curved their graceful necks, while their soft plumage shone with dazzling whiteness. They uttered a singular cry as they spread their glorious wings and flew away from those cold regions to warmer countries across the sea.

They mounted higher and higher in the air, and the ugly little duckling had a strange sensation as he watched them. He whirled himself in the water like a wheel, stretched out his neck towards them, and uttered a cry so strange that it frightened even himself. Could he ever forget those beautiful, happy birds! And when at last they were out of his sight, he dived under the water and rose again almost beside himself with excitement. He knew not the names of these birds nor where they had flown, but he felt towards them as he had never felt towards any other bird in the world.

He was not envious of these beautiful creatures; it never occurred to him to wish to be as lovely as they. Poor ugly creature, how gladly he would have lived even with the ducks, had they only treated him kindly and given him encouragement.

The winter grew colder and colder; he was obliged to swim about on the water to keep it from freezing, but every night the space on which he swam became smaller and smaller. At length it froze so hard that the ice in the water crackled as he moved, and the duckling had to paddle with his legs as well as he could, to keep the space from closing up. He became exhausted at last and lay still and helpless, frozen fast in the ice.

Early in the morning a peasant who was passing by saw what had happened. He broke the ice in pieces with his wooden shoe and carried the duckling home to his wife. The warmth revived the poor little creature; but when the children wanted to play with him, the duckling thought they would do him some harm, so he started up in terror, fluttered into the milk pan, and splashed the milk about the room. Then the woman clapped her hands, which frightened him still more. He flew first into the butter cask, then into the meal tub and out again. What a condition he was in! The woman screamed and struck at him with the tongs; the children laughed and screamed and tumbled over each other in their efforts to catch him, but luckily he escaped. The door stood open; the poor creature could just manage to slip out among the bushes and lie down quite exhausted in the newly fallen snow.

It would be very sad were I to relate all the misery and privations which the poor little duckling endured during the hard winter; but when it had passed he found himself lying one morning in a moor, amongst the rushes. He felt the warm sun shining and heard the lark singing and saw that all around was beautiful spring.

Then the young bird felt that his wings were strong, as he flapped them against his sides and rose high into the air. They bore him onwards until, before he well knew how it had happened, he found himself in a large garden. The apple trees were in full blossom, and the fragrant elders bent their long green branches down to the stream, which wound round a smooth lawn. Everything looked beautiful in the freshness of early spring. From a thicket close by came three beautiful white swans, rustling their feathers and swimming lightly over the smooth water. The duckling saw these lovely birds and felt more strangely unhappy than ever.

“I will fly to these royal birds,” he exclaimed, “and they will kill me because, ugly as I am, I dare to approach them. But it does not matter; better be killed by them than pecked by the ducks, beaten by the hens, pushed about by the maiden who feeds the poultry, or starved with hunger in the winter.”

Then he flew to the water and swam towards the beautiful swans. The moment they espied the stranger they rushed to meet him with outstretched wings.

“Kill me,” said the poor bird and he bent his head down to the surface of the water and awaited death.

But what did he see in the clear stream below? His own image—no longer a dark-gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan.

To be born in a duck’s nest in a farmyard is of no consequence to a bird if it is hatched from a swan’s egg. He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble, because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure and happiness around him; for the great swans swam round the newcomer and stroked his neck with their beaks, as a welcome.

Into the garden presently came some little children and threw bread and cake into the water.

“See,” cried the youngest, “there is a new one;” and the rest were delighted, and ran to their father and mother, dancing and clapping their hands and shouting joyously, “There is another swan come; a new one has arrived.”

Then they threw more bread and cake into the water and said, “The new one is the most beautiful of all, he is so young and pretty.” And the old swans bowed their heads before him.

Then he felt quite ashamed and hid his head under his wing, for he did not know what to do, he was so happy—yet he was not at all proud. He had been persecuted and despised for his ugliness, and now he heard them say he was the most beautiful of all the birds. Even the elder tree bent down its boughs into the water before him, and the sun shone warm and bright. Then he rustled his feathers, curved his slender neck, and cried joyfully, from the depths of his heart, “I never dreamed of such happiness as this while I was the despised ugly duckling.”

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The Ugly Duckling

Illustrated By: Stella Wei

Listen While You Read Along!

Part 1: One By One

Once on a farm long ago , a Mama Duck sat on her nest. “How long must I wait for my babies to hatch? I have to sit here all alone!” But what could she do? A Mama duck must keep her eggs warm till they hatch.

At last, the eggs began to crack. One yellow duckling stepped out of its shell, then another. They all shook their wings. “Quack, quack!”

“Look at all of you!” cried Mama Duck with joy. “You are so cute!”

“Quack, quack, quack!” they said.

“Come line up," said Mama Duck. "We will go down to the lake for your very first swim.” She counted – one, two, three, four, five. “Oh dear!” she said with a frown. “I should have six ducklings!”

One large egg was still in the nest. “Well!" said Mama Duck, "it looks like that big egg will take more time.” So she had to go sit on her nest again and wait some more.

Part 2: Unlike The Others

The next day, the big egg started to hatch. Out stepped a baby boy bird. My goodness! How different this one looked! He was much larger than the others. He was not yellow, but dark-gray all over. And he walked with a funny wobble.

One of the yellow ducklings pointed. “What is THAT? He cannot be one of us!”

“I have never seen such an ugly duckling!” said another.

“How can you say such a thing?” said Mama Duck in a stern voice. “You are only one day old! Your brother hatched from the very same nest as you did. Now line up. We will go to the lake for your very first swim.”

All the way the other ducklings quacked, “Ugly! Ugly! Ugly!” The Ugly Duckling did not know why the other ducklings were yelling at him. He took the last spot in the line.

When they got to the lake, each yellow duck jumped in and swam behind Mama Duck. When it was his turn, the Ugly Duckling jumped in too, and started to paddle. “At least he can swim,” Mama Duck thought to herself.

When the yellow ducklings go out of the water and started to play, the Ugly Duckling tried to play with his brothers and sisters. They yelled at him, “Go away! We will not play with you! You are ugly. And you walk weird!”

When Mama Duck was close by, she would not let them talk this way. “Be nice!” she would scold. But she was not always close by.

Part 3: Get Out!

One day, one of the yellow ducklings said to the Ugly Duckling, “You know what? You would do us a big favor if you just went away!” All of them started to quack: “Go! Go! Go!”

“Why won’t they let me stay?” thought the Ugly Duckling. He hung his head down low. “They must be right. I should go.”

That night, the Ugly Duckling flew over the farmyard fence. He flew until he landed on the other side of the lake. There he met two grown-up ducks.

“Can I please stay here for awhile?” said the Ugly Duckling. “I have nowhere else to live.”

“What do we care?” said one of the ducks. “It's a big lake. Just don’t get in our way.”

“Woof! Woof!” Suddenly a big hungry dog came tearing by, chasing the two ducks. They quickly flew up in the air, and their feathers fell down on the ground. The poor Ugly Duckling froze in fear. The dog sniffed and sniffed at the Ugly Duckling, then turned around and walked away. “I am too ugly even for that mean old dog,” said the Ugly Duckling with his head hung low.

The sky turned dark. Crack! A bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Then came a big storm, with heavy rains pouring down. In just moments, the Ugly Duckling was soaked through and through. A cold wind started to blow.

“Brrr!” He held both wings close to his chest. “If only there was someplace I could dry out.”

All at once, a tiny light blinked far off in the woods. Could it be someone’s hut?

The Ugly Duckling flew to the door. “Quack?” said he. The door of the hut creaked open.

“What is all this noise?” said an old woman, looking right and left. Her eyes were not that good, but she could hear. She looked down. “Ah, a duck!” She picked up the Ugly Duckling and dropped him inside her hut. “You can stay here, but I expect you to lay eggs,” she said.

A tomcat and hen both crept up to the Ugly Duckling. “Who do you think you are, coming here and taking up room by the fire?” said the tomcat with a hiss.

“Squawk!” said the hen. “I'm the only one around here who lays eggs.”

“Don't worry,” said the Ugly Duckling. “I am a boy duck.”

“Then why are you here?” said the tomcat. “Didn't you hear what the old woman said?”

“Get out of here, imposter!” clucked the hen.

“Go away!" hissed the tomcat.

The door was still a bit open, so the poor Ugly Duckling slipped out the door and back into the storm.

“No one ever wants me,” said the Ugly Duckling with a tear in his eye.

Part 4: A New Lake

The storm ended. Finally he found another lake. Looking in the water, the Ugly Duckling saw a reflection from above - a flock of large birds flying by. He turned to look at them. They were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. Their long bodies and slender necks winged through the sky with ease and grace. He watched until the very last bird disappeared from view.

The Ugly Duckling stayed at the lake as the days grew shorter. The leaves turned deep red and gold, and fell to the ground. Winter came, setting its blanket of white snow. The cold wind blew, and the clouds darkened.

The Ugly Duckling had to dive into holes in the ice-topped water to find fish to eat. It was all he could do to keep paddling the water so it wouldn't freeze around him and trap him in the lake.

“I'm so tired!” he thought. The ice got thicker and drew closer to him.

In a moment, two giant hands swept him up. “You poor thing!” said a farmer. He held the Ugly Duckling close to his thick warm wool jacket. "You didn't fly south with the others?" The farmer was carrying him someplace, but where?

The next months were lovely. Warmth from the heat of the fire and also from the heart of the farmer. For the rest of the winter, the farmer cared for the Ugly Duckling.

Part 5: Spring

At last, spring came. Tips of green dotted the tree branches. Short, bright flowers popped up from the ground.

“It is time for you to go back to the lake to swim again, as you were born to do,” said the farmer. He took the duckling back to the lake where he had found him, and set him with care on the water.

“I feel good!” said the young bird, flapping his wings. “Why, I don't think I ever felt as strong as I do right now!”

The spring passed, and summer. When the leaves started to change colors again, one day the Ugly Duckling heard quiet splashing sounds behind him. He turned around. A flock of those same beautiful birds he had once seen winging through the sky, had landed beside him on the lake.

“Don't worry!” he said to the beautiful birds, holding out one wing. “I will go away. I will not make trouble for you.” He turned to go. When he looked down at the lake, he saw a reflection in the water that looked like one of those beautiful birds. Why was that bird so close to him? He jumped back. The reflection jumped back, too.

“What is this?” he wondered. He stretched his neck, and the reflection of the beautiful bird in the lake stretched its neck, too.

“Why are you going so soon?” called out one of the beautiful birds.

“Stay here, with us!” said another. “We’ll be friends.”

Then the bird who used to be the Ugly Duckling knew what had happened. He was no longer an ugly gray bird that wobbled when it walked. He had become a swan! But then he thought of something else.

"Oh, you're only inviting me because I'm a swan and I look like you," said he.

"That's not it at all!" said the first swan.

"Other birds fly with us that don't look anything like us," said the second swan. "Like Pelican."

"Yep," said Pelican. Stayed up too late the night before. Slept till noon and my flock took off without me. What can I tell you? It happens."

"And Egret over there," said the first swan.

"It was this great windy day," said Egret. "The currents - incredible! Tons of fun. Then I found out my flock had taken off. By then, there was no way I could catch up."

The hero of our story was not convinced. "I will stay here," he said. "Winter may get a little cold but spring will come."

"May get a LITTLE cold?" said the second swan. "Think about it. At the place we fly to, the sun shines hot all day long. Thick, delicious pond grass. Lots of birds go there, all kinds."

"Come on!" said the first swan. "I bet you'd love to fly farther than just around this lake."

That much was true. He had always wondered where the other birds were flying. What kind of mysterious places did they go?

In one moment all of the flock, including their newest friend, flapped their wings and took off into the clear blue sky.

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73 Comments

Beauty is what is inside your heart.

My little sister loved this and found it really peaceful trying not to fall asleep to it and loving all the pictures

Maybe you were not perfect yesterday but maybe today you’ll be perfect, like the ugly duckling.

The story told us to treat people the same way we want to be treated ….

Never underestimate anyone

Beauty is not in clothes you wear, beauty is not in make-up you put on. The real beauty is in the good Manner we have.

We should not judge a book by its cover. We should not hurt other’s feelings. You grow beautiful, no matter what people say you are beautiful.

My 5 years old daughter said “you should never laugh at friends no matter what they look like”

Don’t bring people down, pull them up.

Never judge a book by its Cover. The ugly duckling was not a duck he was a beautiful swan ?

you have to be a friend to everyone

Just be your self

We should not hurt other’s feelings.

We should not judge a book by its cover.

Beauty is not every thing in life. We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

You grow beautiful, no matter what people say you are beautiful.

Don’t care what people say, just be yourself

not everything is the same even if you want it to be the same

It doesn’t matter what you look like because when you grow up you can be a beautiful person.

This is the best bed time story I have never had this before and I love it I am giving it 5 ?

He should of gloated in front of the ducks

never judge a book by its cover, that goes the same with humans ? Thanks for all the bedtime stories! ☺️

I am a fellow care taker of my little one (little space) and I read her this story and she fell right asleep. I’m very thankful that this webpage was available because I as a daddy to my little one, I have mental issues so I lack the happiness of imagination, but she wanted a story so this was a lifesaver. P.s. she’s so cute when she’s asleep??❤

I read this story to my boyfriend and he fell asleep….and the moral hits hard!!

My 14 year old bestie could not stop playing with her “toys” and actin up in bed so i read her this story and before i knew it she was fast asleep ??? time to do my share ????

Hi i think we should not underestimate any one

Hi! My name is Olivia. I am 5 years old. My daddy read this story to me for bedtime. And I really really enjoyed it. And I love my toys.

I never felt like I belonged with people my age, because I was tall and I was always so shy to talk irl. At the end it shows that no matter what, you’ll always get through stuff. Looks should not matter because god made us, and everyone is unique and different. I read this for my boyfriend till he fell asleep. This story shows to not be mean to people and always show respect ?.

After I rallied my girlfriend, I read her this story and she fell right asleep! She is 18, police, we’re just enthusiastic. It is her fetish.

I feel like this story belongs to people my age because people should know that looks do not matter and do not judge someone by them. The important lesson is what I said about the the first question.

Moral: Never judge people on their appearances. Still be friends with them whether they are ugly or normal.

I’m 15 this year. But my friends didn’t like me cause I’m too short and when we play together, they said that I’m troublesome.

Well… this story did give me some effect.

This teaches you the you should be kind to other people no matter the image the ugly duck turned into a beautiful swan ?

I like how the ugly duckling came out of his shell and met some friends.

1. I did feel like that because I had a very low self esteem but after years went by, I focused more on my schooling career. Now everyone wants to hang out with me and include me. 2. There’s always hope and there’s always a place for everyone and no matter what anyone has to say you are beautiful. Also never to judge a book by its cover and jump the gun.

This is an amazing and meaningful story . I’m speechless. I don’t know what to say.

1. I have not ever felt like I didn’t belong. 2. He found out that he wasn’t ugly and was a beautiful swan. You shouldn’t listen to what others think about you.

When some one is mean do you listen to them or don’t listen to him?

At school no one talks to me half the time. Except for Clara. That he is not an ugly duckling. And that you’re not always gonna be accepted. But it’s okay. You’re great on your own.

I think this was a amazing story. I felt like you should have added a bit more where the used to be ugly duckling showed his family of ducks what he looks like now. I feel that they would be jealous and sorry for the words they used to make the ugly ducking feel bad about himself.

never judge a book by its cover.

Yes, right now I do not feel good with people my age. It just gives me a feeling in my throat that makes me wanna cry. The most important lesson the Ugly Duckling learns is to not to treat others poorly just because of what they look like.

Great read, loved the detailed artist illustrations

I love the ugly ? duck

My kids and I enjoy these stories. We look forward to bedtime now..

This was a very nice story. Although my toddlers fell asleep, I kept on reading!

? – Its incredible how we people do not realize our own beauty. Neither do i, thank you for the great story. ?

This was a great version of an amazing classical story. I used to be made fun of for having light colored eyebrows and I hated it, until one day I realized that it doesn’t matter what people think of you!

I really like this story! My friend wanted me to tell him a story to fall asleep to, this is the one I picked.10/10

What a GREAT story. the ugly duckling reminds me of myself, because I am the ugly duckling.

My little sis really enjoyed this so much! I read it to her at night. She liked it so much that she fell asleep? before I even finished the story; which is kinda rare with her because it usually takes like a hour or so to make her go to sleep. Thank you for the story!!?

1. at one point i did feel like i didn’t because i was much smaller than everyone, but now that i hit a growth spurt i feel i’m above them all. 2.i feel that he has learned to not mind what people think of you, to ghost for a little while away from all distractions and to come back even better as he did at the end of the story.

The story is amazing and very nice the moral to it is good and really can teach people a good lesson.

This story is very inspiring and nice.

It brings me back to my childhood days and it brings me joy

This story always brings me happiness when I read it

i was always picked on by my family and they would tell me stuff and felt as if they never wanted me there with them

the important lesson the duckling learned is that it doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, you will always be someone great

One time a friend felt like she didn’t with the rest of the kids and I made myself feel how she was feeling then I told the teacher.

This was a good book even though I’m nine I still really like it

I used to be insulted because of crooked teeth and wearing braces .. but few years later braces became a trend, even for people who didn’t need it (which is weird for me). After I removed my braces, they said I was beautiful. I never forgot because for such a small child, it was a sad thing to hear from people around me.

#sorry bout my english :)

When I was bad at basketball on a team of good basketball players. Even if you don look like everyone you can do do great things.

1.I did feel that way especially when I was a school-goer because of how I looked,no one treated me fairly calling me fat,I could not play with others.I felt like an outsider, constantly being bullied for no good reason. The moral of Ugly Duckling tells us that no matter what others say or think about you, always believe in yourself.There is beauty even in imperfection.The world may turn against your back,but you have got nothing to lose :)

yes, I have felt like I don’t belong somewhere before, the message of the ugly duckling is that no matter how you look you’re still beautiful

Yes, I always feel like I don’t belong in a place. I always have this thought that makes me think that I should leave but then I realized that there is no problem with me being there.

The ugly duckling learned that he was not an ugly bird, he looked at himself through a reflection and realized that he was beautiful the way he was.

When I was little I was pretty tall (not anymore) and I felt left out when I was constantly looking OVER the kids head. Soon enough I learned to be confident and that it was okay to be tall.

The lesson the ugly duckling learned is that he just has to embrace what he looks like and be confident.

I think this story had a great lesson to it because how each place and each person or animal the duckling went to he was always welcome because he wasn’t ugly he was beautiful just the way he was and so don’t let people tell you ugly you’re not beautiful because you’re perfect just the way you are and don’t let people tell you otherwise.

I like you had a choice to read by yourself or have read to you and that really helpful so can we have these options more often please

I have felt left out first when I did gymnastics I didn’t know anything so there were other girls that knew more, but it took me a while to be in there stage so here I am I can do what they could do and I’m learning more new things! ugly duckling learned his lesson that he just had to kept trying harder he didn’t give up which was great! So he learned to never give up and that he is beautiful

When I went to my new training

Question 1: I never really felt like I didn’t belong with others my age because everyone is so different where none of us are really the same. Question 2: The important lesson the Ugly Duckling learned in the end is to embrace your difference.

My daughter said it was amazing and she would love to read it again !

Very good story

She loved the bed time story and she whould like to have copyof your awesome story

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Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, the ugly duckling.

We've probably all heard the story of the ugly misfit duckling who has trouble finding out where he belongs. The little bird endures teasing and taunting until the day he finally grows into his true identity: a beautiful swan. Jerry Pinkney's graceful watercolor paintings bring a sunny countryside world --- and a lovable character --- to life.

Reviewed by on January 24, 2011

The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson

Publication Date: March 24, 1999
Genres: Christian
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 068815932X
ISBN-13: 9780688159320

The Ugly Duckling

" The Ugly Duckling " in Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales (1888), translated by Mrs. Henry H. B. Paull
" The Ugly Duckling " in The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen (1899), translated by Mary Howitt , illustrated by Helen Stratton
" The Ugly Duckling " in Fairy Tales and Stories (1900), translated by H. L. Brækstad , illustrated by H. Tegner
" The Ugly Duckling " in The Orange Fairy Book (1906), edited by Andrew Lang
" The Ugly Duckling " in Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales (1913), translated by unknown translator, illustrated by W. Heath Robinson
" The Ugly Duckling " in Fairy Tales and Other Stories (1914), translated by W. A. Craigie and J. K. Craigie

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The ugly duckling, common sense media reviewers.

Kids will sympathize with ugly duckling's plight.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Other farmyard creatures (and the humans) are crue

Hunters shoot at a flock of geese, and a hunting d

Parents need to know that kids will be drawn into the detailed illustrations, and empathize with the forlorn fowl. Positive messages about acceptance abound, and there's nothing here that kids can't handle.

Positive Messages

Other farmyard creatures (and the humans) are cruel to the duckling.

Violence & Scariness

Hunters shoot at a flock of geese, and a hunting dog confronts the duckling. The duckling vows that he would rather be killed by the swans than suffer any more cruelty.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Where to read, community reviews.

Parents say (3)
Kids say (5)

Based on 3 parent reviews

Ugly Duckling Review

What's the story.

'I am too ugly even for a dog to eat,' the duckling thought. Jerry Pinkney's poignant text and rich artwork convey the timeless appeal of this tale of hardship and redemption. Anyone who has suffered the sting of ostracism can sympathize with the ugly duckling's plight and will relish the uplifting conclusion.

Is It Any Good?

The author pays homage to Hans Christian Andersen's compassionate tale with this faithful adaptation, an ageless story that speaks across generations with its reaffirming message. In this age of instant gratification, Andersen's tale reminds readers that some things are worth waiting for and that a pleasure deferred (whether by choice or by necessity) is often the sweetest one of all.

Illustrator Jerry Pinkney's descriptive passages resonate with the splendor of nature's beauty. The glowing watercolors, filled with intricate details, make each blade of grass visible, and the delicately drawn, nearly transparent mosquitoes are as ethereal as they are in life. The subtle details incorporated into the scenes -- a frog catching a passing fly at the pond and a tiny mouse perched by a crate in the old woman's cottage -- will encourage children to take another look at this old and familiar story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the difficulties of being "different" and the pain of being rejected by one's peers. Have you ever been ostracized by others for the way you look? How did it make you feel? Have you ever treated someone else differently because they didn't look or act like you and your friends?

Book Details

Author : Hans Christian Andersen
Illustrator : Jerry Pinkney
Genre : Fairy Tale
Book type : Fiction
Publisher : William Morrow
Publication date : January 1, 1999
Number of pages : 32
Last updated : June 29, 2015

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The Ugly Duckling (Caldecott Honor Book)

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The Ugly Duckling (Caldecott Honor Book) Hardcover – Picture Book, March 24, 1999

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A gorgeous, Caldecott Honor-winning version of the classic story

For over one hundred years The Ugly Duckling has been a childhood favorite, and Jerry Pinkney's spectacular adaptation brings it triumphantly to new generations of readers.

With keen emotion and fresh vision, the acclaimed artist captures the essence of the tale's timeless appeal: The journey of the awkward little bird—marching bravely through hecklers, hunters, and cruel seasons—is an unforgettable survival story; this blooming into a graceful swan is a reminder of the patience often necessary to discover true happiness. Splendid watercolors set in the lush countryside bring the drama to life in this hardcover picture book.

Jerry Pinkney was "widely acclaimed for his picture books honoring his Black heritage as well as for his richly detailed works reimagining well-loved fairy and folktales," noted Publishers Weekly . His version of The Lion & the Mouse by Aesop was awarded the Caldecott Medal, and his books also received five Caldecott Honor citations. He was recognized with two lifetime achievement awards: the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (now known as the Children’s Literature Legacy Award) and the Coretta Scott King Virginia Hamilton Award.

Part of series Caldecott Honor Book
Print length 40 pages
Language English
Grade level Kindergarten - 3
Lexile measure AD820L
Dimensions 9.25 x 0.38 x 11 inches
Publisher Morrow Junior Books
Publication date March 24, 1999
ISBN-10 068815932X
ISBN-13 978-0688159320
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review, from publishers weekly, from school library journal, from kirkus reviews, from the back cover.

For over one hundred years The Ugly Duckling has been a childhood favorite, and Jerry Pinkney's spectacular new adaptation brings it triumphantly to new generations of readers. With keen emotion and fresh vision, the acclaimed artist captures the essence of the tale's timeless appeal: The journey of the awkward little bird -- marching bravely through hecklers, hunters, and cruel seasons -- is an unforgettable survival story; this blooming into a graceful swan is a reminder of the patience often necessary to discover true happiness. Splendid watercolors set in the lush countryside bring drama to life.

About the Author

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet best remembered for his fairy tales, both original and retold, including the beloved classics "Thumbelina," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Fir Tree," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Princess and the Pea," "The Red Shoes," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Snow Queen."

Jerry Pinkney was one of America’s most admired children’s book illustrators. He won the Caldecott Medal and five Caldecott Honors, five Coretta Scott King Awards, the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the Society of Illustrators’ Original Art Show Lifetime Achievement Award, and many other prizes and honors. Jerry Pinkney's work can be viewed at www.jerrypinkneystudio.com.

In His Own Words...

"I grew up in a small house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I was a middle child of six. I started drawing as far back as I can remember, at the age of four or five. My brothers drew, and I guess in a way I was mimicking them. I found I enjoyed the act of putting marks on paper. It gave me a way of creating my own space and quiet time, as well as a way of expressing myself. You can imagine six children competing for attention and to be heard. I would sit, watching and drawing.

"In first grade I had the opportunity to draw a large picture of a fire engine on the blackboard. I was complimented and encouraged to draw more. The attention felt good, and I wanted more. I was not a terrific reader or adept speller in my growing-up years, and I felt insecure in those areas. Drawing helped me build my self-esteem and feel good about myself, and, with hard work, I graduated from elementary school with honors.

"I attended an all-black elementary school, and I gained a strong sense of self and an appreciation of my own culture there. But Roosevelt Junior High was integrated. There I had many friends, both white and black, at a time when there was little mixing socially in school. There the spark for my curiosity about people was lit. You can see this interest and fascination with people of different cultures throughout my work.

"My formal art training started at Dobbins Vocational High School, and upon graduation I received a scholarship to the Philadelphia Museum College of Art. My major was advertising and design. The most exciting classes for me were drawing, painting, and printmaking. It is no wonder I turned to illustrating and designing books. For me the book represents the ultimate in graphics: first, as a designer, considering space, page size, number of pages, and type size; then, as an illustrator, dealing with the aesthetics of line, color, and form.

"There were three books that somehow magically came into my possession in the early sixties: The Wind in the Willows , illustrated by Arthur Rackham; The Wonder Clock , illustrated by Howard Pyle; and Rain Makes Applesauce , illustrated by Marvin Bileck. You can see those influences in my art today. Later, my work was greatly influenced by such African American artists as Charles White, Romare Bearden, and Jacob Lawrence.

"From the very beginning of my career in illustrating books, research has been important. I do as much as possible on a given subject, so that I live the experience and have a vision of the people and places. To capture a sense of realism for characters in my work, I use models that resemble the people I want to portray. My wife, Gloria Jean (also an author), and I keep a closetful of old clothes to dress up the models, and I have the models act out the story. Photos are taken to aid me in better understanding body language and facial expressions. Once I have that photo in front of me I have freedom, because the more you know, the more you can be inventive.

"For illustrating stories about animals, I keep a large reference file of over a hundred books on nature and animals. The first step in envisioning a creature is for me to pretend to be that particular animal. I think about its size and the sounds it makes, how it moves (slowly or quickly), and where it lives. I try to capture the feeling of the creature, as well as its true-to-life characteristics. There are times when the stories call for the animals to be anthropomorphic, and I've used photographs of myself posing as the animal characters.

"It still amazes me how much the projects I have illustrated have given back to me in terms of personal and artistic satisfaction. They have given me the opportunity to use my imagination, to draw, to paint, to travel through the voices of the characters in the stories, and, above all else, to touch children."

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Morrow Junior Books; First Edition (March 24, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 068815932X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0688159320
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 2 - 7 years, from customers
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD820L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ Kindergarten - 3
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.25 x 0.38 x 11 inches
#520 in Children's Easter Books (Books)
#541 in Children's Baby Animal Books
#2,771 in Children's Classics

About the author

Jerry pinkney.

A native of Philadelphia, Jerry studied at the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts) where, in 1992 he received the Alumni Award. He has been illustrating children's books since 1964, illustrating over one hundred titles, and earned the Caldecott Medal for his nearly wordless picture book The Lion & the Mouse in 2010. Among his many other accolades he has also been the recipient of five Caldecott Honor Medals, five Coretta Scott King Awards and four Coretta Scott King Honors, five New York Times Best Illustrated Book awards, and in 2006 the Original Art's Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Illustrators, New York, NY.

In addition to his work in children's books, Jerry has had over thirty one-man retrospectives at venues ranging from the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL to the California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA. He has exhibited in over one hundred group shows in the USA, Japan, Russia, Italy, Taiwan and Jamaica. Jerry has illustrated for a wide variety of clients, including the U.S. Postal Service, National Park Service, and National Geographic. Jerry created art for the Harry Chapin Run Against Hunger commemorative poster, a foundation that helps bring food to those in need. He was invited to create a painting for the 30th Bologna Book Fait, Bologna, Italy and the NASA Art Collection at the John F. Kennedy Space Center. He was appointed to serve on the U.S. Postal Services Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (1982-1992). In 2001 Jerry was invited by Laura Bush to illustrate and design the White House Christmas Program. He has held professorships teaching art at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY; the University of Delaware, Newark, DE; and the University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY. In 2003, Jerry was appointed to the National Council of the Arts - NEA (2003-2009). His art can be found in the permanent collections at the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Delaware Art Museum and the Brandywine River Art Museum.

His works have been featured in The New York Times, Arts Section, American Artists Magazine, The Horn Book Magazine, The CBS Sunday Morning Show and PBS Reading Rainbow Room. Pinkney is also a past trustee for the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and the Katonah Museum of Art. He lives with his wife, author Gloria Jean, in Westchester County, NY.

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Ugly Duckling
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The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen (English) Hardcover Book
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The ugly duckling. by Busby, Ailie (9780723270676)

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The Ugly Duckling Summary
The Ugly Duckling book report - detailed analysis, book summary, literary elements, character analysis, Hans Christian Andersen biography and everything necessary for active class participation. Analysis. The Ugly Duckling is a story about the troubles and sufferings of a young swan that got hatched from an egg in a duck's nest. He was marked ...
A Summary and Analysis of Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Ugly Duckling
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Hans Christian Andersen's influence on the fairy tale genre was profound. Although 'The Snow Queen', 'The Emperor's New Clothes', 'The Little Mermaid', and 'The Ugly Duckling' have the ring of timeless fairy stories, they were all original tales written by the Danish storyteller in the mid-nineteenth century.
The Ugly Duckling Summary
The Ugly Duckling Summary. Hans Christian Andersen. The Ugly Duckling is a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. This is one of the world's best-known fairy tales about the ugly duckling who, after many sufferings and troubles due to his ugliness, discovers that he's a beautiful swan. Further study.
The Ugly Duckling
"The Ugly Duckling" (Danish: Den grimme ælling) is a Danish literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875). It was first published on 11 November 1843 in New Fairy Tales.First Volume. First Collection, with three other tales by Andersen in Copenhagen to great critical acclaim. The tale has been adapted to various media including opera, musical, and ...
The Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling is one of our Favorite Fairy Tales. IT was lovely summer weather in the country, and the golden corn, the green oats, and the haystacks piled up in the meadows looked beautiful. The stork walking about on his long red legs chattered in the Egyptian language, which he had learnt from his mother.
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen
42,389 ratings1,707 reviews. For over one hundred years The Ugly Duckling has been a childhood favorite, and Jerry Pinkney's spectacular new adaptation brings it triumphantly to new generations of readers. With keen emotion and fresh vision, the acclaimed artist captures the essence of the tale's timeless appeal: The journey of the awkward ...
The Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling was written by Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) in Denmark in 1845. He is the beloved author of many well-known children's stories, including The Ugly Duckling, The Tinderbox ...
"The Ugly Duckling", analysis of the tale by Hans ...
The tale "The Ugly Duckling" was written in 1843 by Andersen and published in the collection New Tales. Literary scholars believe that the tale is autobiographical. The ugly duckling is young Andersen, who had an extravagant appearance: he was thin and clumsy, so that many aroused pity and a desire to help. Three trials of the ugly duckling ...
"The Ugly Duckling"
Hans Christian Andersen, ""The Ugly Duckling"," Fairy Tales and Other Traditional Stories, Lit2Go Edition, (0), accessed April 10, ... And then there was another report. A great hunt was going on. The sportsmen were lying in wait all round the moor, and some were even sitting up in the branches of the trees, which spread far over the reeds. ...
The Ugly Duckling
Books. The Ugly Duckling. Hans Christian Andersen. ABDO, 2005 - Juvenile Fiction - 42 pages. A mother duck hatches a brood of ducklings. All are sweet little yellow babies - - all but one, who is very large, very gray, and very ugly. The poor ugly duckling is teased and tormented by everyone he meets, even his own mother, brothers, and sisters.
The Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling. One summer, a mother duck sat on her nest, waiting for her eggs to hatch. One by one, the shells broke apart, announcing a new little bird to the world. But one solitary egg, larger than the others, remained nestled and quiet, seemingly unwilling to budge. The mother duck decided to sit on her egg day and night in order to ...
"The Ugly Duckling"
The Library of Congress offers many activities. Come take a tour, visit our exhibitions, and view the gorgeous Main Reading Room!
The Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling. It was so beautiful in the country. It was the summer time. The wheat fields were golden, the oats were green, and the hay stood in great stacks in the green meadows. The stork paraded about among them on his long red legs, chattering away in Egyptian, the language he had learned from his lady mother.
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen: 9789888341191
About The Ugly Duckling. Born different, the ugly duckling is mocked by his siblings, rejected by other ducks, and even shunned by his own mother. The sad little bird leaves home, starting a journey where he is jeered at and hunted as he struggles to survive on his own-only to discover that the identity he longed for was within him all along.
The Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling stayed at the lake as the days grew shorter. The leaves turned deep red and gold, and fell to the ground. Winter came, setting its blanket of white snow. The cold wind blew, and the clouds darkened. The Ugly Duckling had to dive into holes in the ice-topped water to find fish to eat.
The Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling. by Hans Christian Anderson. We've probably all heard the story of the ugly misfit duckling. who has trouble finding out where he belongs. The little bird. endures teasing and taunting until the day he finally grows into. his true identity: a beautiful swan. Jerry Pinkney's graceful. watercolor paintings bring a sunny ...
The Story of The Ugly Duckling
Next the ugly duckling came to an even larger pond filled with a family of geese. The goslings were a brown-gray like he was! Happily, the ugly duckling waddled to the water's edge, plopped his little body in the water, and swam towards the family of geese. He advanced one of the goslings who looked even larger and greyer than him.
The Ugly Duckling
"The Ugly Duckling" in The Orange Fairy Book (1906), edited by Andrew Lang "The Ugly Duckling" in Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales (1913), translated by unknown translator, illustrated by W. Heath Robinson "The Ugly Duckling" in Fairy Tales and Other Stories (1914), translated by W. A. Craigie and J. K. Craigie
The Ugly Duckling: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner
A gorgeous, Caldecott Honor-winning version of the classic story. For over one hundred years The Ugly Duckling has been a childhood favorite, and Jerry Pinkney's spectacular adaptation brings it triumphantly to new generations of readers. With keen emotion and fresh vision, the acclaimed artist captures the essence of the tale's timeless appeal: The journey of the awkward little bird ...
The Ugly Duckling Book Review
Parents say ( 3 ): Kids say ( 5 ): The author pays homage to Hans Christian Andersen's compassionate tale with this faithful adaptation, an ageless story that speaks across generations with its reaffirming message. In this age of instant gratification, Andersen's tale reminds readers that some things are worth waiting for and that a pleasure ...
The Ugly Duckling
Tormont Publications, 1996. ISBN. 2894298811, 9782894298817. Length. 29 pages. Export Citation. BiBTeX EndNote RefMan. An ugly duckling spends an unhappy year ostracized by the other animals before he grows into a beautiful swan.
The Ugly Duckling (Caldecott Honor Book)
A gorgeous, Caldecott Honor-winning version of the classic story. For over one hundred years The Ugly Duckling has been a childhood favorite, and Jerry Pinkney's spectacular adaptation brings it triumphantly to new generations of readers. With keen emotion and fresh vision, the acclaimed artist captures the essence of the tale's timeless appeal: The journey of the awkward little bird ...
The ugly duckling book report Free Essays
The Ugly Duckling. Paper 2-Draft 2 "The Ugly Duckling " was a short story written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1844. Although it is nearly 200 years old‚ the story is still one of the most popular retellings within modern culture. The question‚ of course‚ becomes "why?".

A Summary and Analysis of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Ugly Duckling’ Fairy Tale

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The Ugly Duckling Summary

The Ugly Duckling is a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. This is one of the world's best-known fairy tales about the ugly duckling who, after many sufferings and troubles due to his ugliness, discovers that he's a beautiful swan.

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