The Ugly Duckling is a popular folklore book written by Sarah Delmege and illustrated by Polona Lovsin. The updated hardcover edition was published in 2012 by Parragon Books and is intended for readers ages 2 to 5 years old. It is the perfect book for beginning readers! The illustrations show great emotion and capture the reader with the bright colors. This book is a classic that definitely will not disappoint!
The Ugly Duckling is a duck who does not seem to fit in with the other ducklings. He is gray, clumsy, and much bigger than the other ducklings. Because he is very different from the rest he is picked on and left other by the other ducklings in the pond. Eventually the ugly duckling gets tired of being made fun of and left out so he decides to to flee away from the pond. On his journey he encounters beautiful white birds and wishes that one day he would be as beautiful and elegant as they are. One day after the ugly duckling spent a cold, lonely winter away from the pond he see's his reflection in the water. The once odd duckling that everyone shunned, turned out not to be a ugly duckling. He looked so different because he was not a duck at all, he was a beautiful swan! Not only was the ugly duckling a swan, he was the most beautiful swan in the whole pond!
This story shows children it is ok to be different. Everyone is different, you just must find your own identity. This story is a great book for teachers to read to young children for two reasons. Firstly, this book shows children how it feels to be left out and made fun of. Teaching them this lesson will help them to avoid doing this themselves. Secondly, this book deals with values such as respect, determination, uniqueness, and the value of everyone being different! This is a great story for teachers to read to their young students. They are able to depict the story and it's message from the bright, vibrant illustrations provided!
Discussion Time!
Reader response questions:
- How do you think the ugly duckling felt in the beginning of the story when he realized how different he was from all the other ducklings in the pond?
- What were some things that you think made the duckling "ugly" in this story?
- Why do you think the other ducklings in the pond shunned and made fun of the ugly duckling? How did you feel about those ducklings doing that to him?
- What did you learn about this story and how could you use what you learned from the story in real life?
- Why did the ugly duckling run away from the pond?
- What do you do if someone is teasing you or you see someone teasing a peer?
- Have you ever seen someone make fun of or leave someone out because they were different in any way? When?
- Did you like the ending of the story? Why was duckling so different from the all the others in the pond all along?
- How could you help someone who was being treated the way the ugly duckling was?
Motivational Activity:
- Ask students to draw a picture of the duckling when he was considered "the ugly duckling" and ask them to use an adjective to describe how the duckling looks or feels. Next to the drawling of the "ugly duckling" ask the students to draw a picture of the swan he turned into and one adjective to describe how he feels when he realizes he has transformed into a swan. Ask students to then describe how the duckling and swan were treated differently.
RESPECT:
The activities I have chosen that correspond with The Ugly Duckling story reflect St. Leo's Coe Value of Respect in many ways. The discussion and motivational activities aim to make children about why people do not respect others and how this makes other people feel. Respect entails treating others as you would want to be treated by admiring the feelings, rights, and wishes of others. These activities allow them to deeply think about how they can respect others.
Just For Fun:
If teachers or students want to watch an animated edition of The Ugly Duckling it is available here:
If you enjoyed this story, you may also enjoy similar books such as:
- The Three Little Pigs
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Gingerbread Man
- Hansel and Gretel
"Treat everyone how you would want to be treated"
Delmege, S., & Lovsin, P. (2012) The ugly duckling. New York, NY: Parragon Books.
Diversity is the heart of this story. Teachers can bring in two eggs, one white the other brown. The students visually see the eggs look different; a class discussion can be done asking what may be inside? Is it OK to be different?
ReplyDeleteThe eggs can be cracked onto two separate plates and presented to the class to show that there is no difference between the two on the inside, even if the outside looks different.