U is for...Ugly ducklings!

Ok, so it was really hard to find a 'U' letter for today's post. It was a choice between Unicorns and The Ugly Duckling, so I went with the latter because it's an actual fairy tale, and I don't actually know of any fairy tales that involve Unicorns!
Taken from here
Taken from here
The Ugly Duckling is a story about a baby swan whose egg rolled into the nest of a duck. When he hatched from his egg with the ducklings, they perceived him as 'ugly' and he was therefore teased and bullied by all of the ducklings, and the other animals on the farm. He wanders away and lives with some wild ducks and geese until they are killed by hunters. He then lives with an old woman, but her cat and hen also tease him, so he runs away from there too.

He sees a flock of migrating swans and is excited about the possibility of joining them, but he is too young and can't fly yet. Winter then arrives, and a farmer finds the baby swan and takes it home with him, but he is scared by the farmers children and so flees. During winter, he hides in a cave near a lake that has frozen over, on his own. When Spring arrives, another flock of swans land on the lake, and the ugly duckling decides to throw himself at them, believing that it is better to be killed by such beautiful creatures than to live a lonely life of ugliness and misery. However, the swans welcome him and accept him, and when he looks at his reflection in the water he realises that he has grown up into a beautiful swan. He spreads his wings for the first time and flies away with his new family.
Taken from here
I like this story, because no matter what, the 'ugly duckling' never gave up. He was bullied for being 'ugly' or different, but he kept on looking for people to take him in, and in the end didn't care what other animals thought of him anymore. Fittingly, this is the point where he started perceiving himself as 'beautiful'.
So there's my U post, hope you enjoyed it even though it's very last minute!

Comments

  1. S. L. Hennessy24 April 2012 at 17:36

    I don't care what age group this is intended for...I think this story should be required reading for middle school and high school kids.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson24 April 2012 at 17:40

      It should, it carries such a positive message! :)

      Delete
  2. Chiz24 April 2012 at 17:39

    I had the most trouble finding a 'U' word. I was actually thinking of doing the Ugly Duckling myself but decided against it. I'm glad you chose to write about this fairy tale though because it is certainly one of my favorites. Especially since the message is so important for those in school today what with all the bullies and all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson24 April 2012 at 17:42

      It's one of my favourites too, and the message is certainly very important. It's one of the reasons why I love it so much :)

      Delete
  3. beccabooklover24 April 2012 at 17:50

    Just a beautiful little tale. Completely sends out the right message for kids these days.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Miss H24 April 2012 at 20:56

    I adore this story too, it's just so beautiful and touching!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson24 April 2012 at 21:27

      It really is, I love stories with messages :)

      Delete
  5. Lisa Southard24 April 2012 at 21:14

    I have an Ugly Duckling song on vinyl that I secretly love- have been singing along with it since I was five! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson24 April 2012 at 21:28

      Ooh an Ugly Duckling song? That sounds awesome! :)

      Delete
  6. Anonymous24 April 2012 at 22:20

    It is such a gorgeous story, the ugly ducking. Not as well known as it used to be, but i still adore it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson25 April 2012 at 00:02

      It's brilliant, I love how he ends up more beautiful than all of the other ducklings who made fun of him :)

      Delete
  7. Unknown24 April 2012 at 22:55

    Those are some not ugly duckling pictures. They are lovely!

    ScribblesFromJenn
    Happy A to Z-ing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rob Z Tobor25 April 2012 at 00:07

    I should have remembered the ugly duckling, but I hate the song. It seems a shame the swan was turned into matches so that we could make models of the Taj Mahal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson25 April 2012 at 09:30

      I don't think I've ever heard that song, I'll have to listen to it! :)

      Delete
  9. Violet25 April 2012 at 05:17

    quack honk honk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson25 April 2012 at 09:31

      Yeah, that's probably what he sounded like! :)

      Delete
  10. Youngman Brown25 April 2012 at 05:25

    I vaguely remember the version of the book that I had when I was a little kid being one from China. Either way, it was one of my favorite stories!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kate OMara25 April 2012 at 07:04

    Excellent choice for U. This was one of my favorite stories as a child. :)
    #84 following
    Kate
    http://whenkateblogs.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson25 April 2012 at 09:29

      I love it, it has such a positive message :)

      Delete

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