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. "We don't understand you? "Oh," said the mother, "that is not a turkey; how well he uses his legs, and how upright he holds himself! A square peg in a round hole. succeed. Yes, right now I do not feel good with people my age. Everything is fresh and green.One morning the ugly duckling sees the beautiful swans again. 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. But what was this that it saw in the clear water? Narrated by Melvyn Hayes. The poor Ugly Duckling froze in fear. "What is that noise about?" They quickly flew up in the air, and their feathers fell down on the ground. 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. The yellow ducklings around him do not accept him, so he goes on a journey to find a home, but he does not seem to fit in anywhere. All around the fields and meadows were great forests, and in the midst of these forests lay deep lakes. said the hen, "why you must be crazy! Well, how goes it? asked an old Duck who had come to pay her a visit. The stork walking about on his long red legs chattered in the Egyptian language, which he had learnt from his mother. As she watched, three of her eggs cracked and three lovely ducklings came into . 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 new-comer, and stroked his neck with their beaks, as a welcome. At last it breaks open, \"Tchick, tchick!\"Out jumps the last baby duck. The important lesson is what I said about the the first question. [7], In November 2017, a Youtube Channel by the name of The Uncle Louie Variety Show made their own version of the story called "The Ugly Baby".[8]. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. A bolt of lightning. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye: Summary and Analysis, The Beat Generation: Characteristics of Beat Poetry, Jack Kerouac: On the Road and Other Works, William S. 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Get out!, Why wont they let me stay here? said the Ugly Duckling to himself. Out came a baby boy bird. When Mama Duck was close by, she would not let them talk in this way. 'Those swans are so beautiful. And no one comes to visit me. But what could she do? On the whole its quite pretty, if one looks at it rightly. He watched until the very last bird had winged its way out of view. One by one, yellow ducklings stepped out of their shells. Happily, the ugly duckling waddled to the water's edge, plopped his little body in the water, and swam towards the family of geese. Walt Disney had earlier produced a black-and-white Silly . But surprise, surprise the swans dont devour him but instead welcome him with open arms (or wings) as one of their own. I must wait and see." Download Story - The Ugly Duckling Story with Pictures PDF. At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice. 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. "Oh what a prize!" 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. The leaves of the trees turned deep red and gold, and then the leaves fell to the ground. Dont care what people say, just be yourself, not everything is the same even if you want it to be the same. - -, Enjoy our complete collection of Short Stories for Children, Return to the Hans Christian Andersen library , or . His brothers and sisters all tease him, calling him an ugly duckling and insisting that he isn't a real duck because he is plain and white and not yellow and fluffy like they are. The lesson the ugly duckling learned is that he just has to embrace what he looks like and be confident. 2. 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. ", Poor thing! An error occurred trying to load this video. It is he! 79 reviews of The Ugly Duckling "Went during opening week. His own image; no longer a dark, gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan. We look forward to bedtime now.. 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. A tomcat and hen crept up to the Ugly Duckling. After a mother duck's eggs hatch, one of the ducklings is perceived by the other animals as an ugly little creature and suffers much verbal and physical abuse. "Pop, pop," sounded in the air, and the two wild geese fell dead among the rushes, and the water was tinged with blood. He felt the warm sun shining, and heard the lark singing, and saw that all around was beautiful spring. It will not burst. The food was good. But she was not always close by. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. When I was bad at basketball on a team of good basketball players. 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. 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. The manager, Ross, checked in on us repeatedly. Don't imagine such nonsense, child, and thank your good fortune that you have been received here. I was once cheated in that way, and had much anxiety and trouble with the young ones, for they are afraid of the water. "Kill me," said the poor bird; and he bent his head down to the surface of the water, and awaited death. 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. All Rights Reserved. The spot was as wild as the centre of a thick wood. I will go now. Fairy Tales and Other Traditional Stories. Although The Snow Queen, The Emperors 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 is one of our Favorite Fairy Tales. Who do you think you are, coming in here and taking up room by the fire! said the tomcat. Whos an ugly duckling now? One day, one of the yellow ducklings said to the Ugly Duckling, You know what? Then he felt quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wing; for he did not know what to do, he was so happy, and yet not at all proud. The 1954 Tom and Jerry cartoon Downhearted Duckling is also based on the famous story. But its okay. she asked. "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, and 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 and laughed at by the whole farmyard. The Mother-Duck went down to the canal with all her family. 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. Looking into the water, the Ugly Duckling saw the reflection of a flock of large white birds flying. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. she has a red rag round her leg; thats something particularly fine, and the greatest distinction a duck can enjoy; it signifies that one does not want to lose her, and that shes to be known by the animals and by men too. 14 chapters | 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 cold wind and the dark clouds made the Ugly Duckling feel even more sad. She laid good eggs, and her mistress loved her as if she had been her own child. Stay here, with us! said another. The poor little Duckling certainly had not a good time. This document was downloaded from Lit2Go, a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format published by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. A woman, a tom cat, and a hen lived in this cottage. He advanced one of the goslings who looked even larger and greyer than him. At last the large egg broke, and a young one crept forth crying, "Peep, peep." 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. One fine day, the eggs started cracking and hatching and tiny little ducklings started coming out of the shells one after another. 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. Im 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. I like how the ugly duckling came out of his shell and met some friends. You dont understand me, said the Duckling. Copyright 20062023 by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida. Whats 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. [2], According to Carole Rosen, the story was inspired in part by Andersen's friend Jenny Lind.[3]. 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. 'The Ugly Duckling' is a popular story about personal transformation and self-image. Maybe you can remember being teased for wearing glasses or braces, or for not being the best at kickball. Then a cold wind started to blow. Not everyone in the world will necessarily welcome you with open arms, but theres a family or group for everyone. 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. quack! she said, and one duckling after another plunged in. [6], In 1999, Jerry Pinkney adapted the story as a children's picture book. Then the young bird felt that his wings were strong, as he flapped them against his sides, and rose high into the air. My daddy read this story to me for bedtime. The storm ended. It was the summer time. No, I have not all. I wonder if it really is a turkey. Gosh, I feel strong, said the young bird, flapping his wings. 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. Oh, here it was so beautiful, such a gladness of spring! "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. Listen, comrade, said one of them. And the other birds said in so many words. He wants so much to swim with them in the river. The Ugly Duckling" is a well-known and beloved fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, first published in 1843. You grow beautiful, no matter what people say you are beautiful. "Now make yourself at home, and if you can find an eel's head, you can bring it to me.". The main difference between the Andersen story and the Disney version is that, in the latter, the little bird's ordeal lasts for only a few minutes, not for months. The tale was adapted to a musical by Gail Deschamps and Paul Hamilton. Dont be mean just because something isnt beautiful to you. The Ugly Duckling is a Danish fairy tale about the life and adventures of a little duck taht was born different. "I am too ugly even for the big hungry dog to want," said the Ugly Duckling with his head . In a moment, two giant hands swept him up. Their mother allowed them to look as much as they liked, because green is good for the eyes. The young swans treated him like one of their own. The title character, The Ugly Duckling is the last of nine ducklings to hatch in a barnyard. Ask the Cat about ithes the cleverest animal I knowask him if he likes to swim on the water, or to dive downI wont speak about myself. It matters nothing if one is born in a duck-yard if one has only lain in a swans egg. Woof! At last one egg-shell after another burst open. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you "Quack, quack," said the mother, and then they all quacked as well as they could, and looked about them on every side at the large green leaves. Get out! The real beauty is in the good Manner we have. 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. Ugly! The Ugly Duckling did not know why the other ducklings were yelling at him. What are you thinking of? cried the Hen. Or rather, it is about the protagonists acceptance that most people dont like him, rather than the worlds acceptance of him. We will not play with you! 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." Just as you please, said the old Duck; and she went away. The clouds hung low, heavy with hail and snow-flakes, and on the fence stood the raven, crying, Croak! Some hardships are difficult and make us feel unworthy. He turned to go away. Andersen, Hans Christian. First Collection, Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons), "Fairy-tales and Vino with Uncle Louie and Carlo". That was a fright for the poor Duckling! It was first published on 11 November 1843 in New Fairy Tales. Cross street. 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. I think he will be very strong. What is THAT? He ran over field and meadow till a storm arose, and he could hardly struggle against it. 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. Or braces, or contact customer support water, the Ugly Duckling learned is that he has... Or rather, it is about the protagonists acceptance that most people dont like,! 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