The+Ugly+Duckling+2

__**Book review by: Gabrielle Papale **__

- Title: The Ugly Duckling - Written by: [|Hans Christian Andersen] - Illustrated by: [|Jerry Pinkney] - Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers - Publication date: 3/24/1999 - Purchase: Barnes & Noble (Hardcover) $14.89 - ISBN-13: 9780688159320 - Pages: 40 - Sales rank: 102,683 - Age range: 4 - 8 Years - Product dimensions: 9.25 (w) x 11.00 (h) x 0.37 (d) - Language: English - Award: Caldecott Medal
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 This story is about a young swan finding himself. A mother duck, which lives on a farm, waits for her eggs to hatch. The neighbors notice that one egg is bigger than the rest and make the mother nervous. When the eggs hatch, a swan is born into the family of ducks. His siblings notice that he isn’t very good looking. The swan is bullied and brutalized for his looks by the others. This swam is unnamed and known as the “ugly duckling” because he does not look like the others. The mother still loves her son even though he is different. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 1.5;">Since he is treated cruelly he decides to flee the farm. He ends up in the wild where he meets different animals. The wild ducks consider him to be an outsider because he looks different. The wild geese treat him better, but circumstances change because of hunters. He then finds an old woman’s hut, but the woman’s pets, a cat and a chicken, don’t like him and tease him. The old lady doesn’t like him much either. He then leaves the hut. The weather begins to get colder and colder because winter is at its prime. The cold almost kills him, but he survives. Soon the spring comes and he begins to get stronger. Not long after that he finds a group of swans. He figures that they will reject him too, but instead they recognize him as one of their own. He looks into a pond at his reflection and soon realizes that he is a swan. He is one of them. All this time he thought he was a duck. The “ugly duckling” ends up growing to be the most beautiful swan in the pond and lives a very happy life.
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> The Ugly Duckling is a book that I adore. When I was younger, this book was one of my favorites. This book is a classic tale about a swan that searches for his identity. It teaches children a sense of self-esteem and self-image. The book is well written and is relatable to all children, young and old. The illustrations are of beautiful watercolors that are set in countryside. The colors bring drama to life and show a sense of reality. Overall, I feel that this book is great. It teaches children that even though they might be different and might not fit in, there is always a place where they belong.
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> The literary element that I feel is the most important is theme. The major theme in The Ugly Duckling is acceptance. The story shows how growing up can be awkward, painful, and brutal. Children will learn to grow into their personalities and bodies. They will also learn to love themselves. The “Ugly Duckling” transitions through a coming of age story from sadness and awkwardness to grace and maturity. Another theme is inner beauty. The “Ugly Duckling” has an initial image of ugly, but later develops into something exceptional. True inner beauty will overshadow physical appearance. The cruel characters in the story were not very beautiful to me.
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark, on Tuesday, April 2, 1805. He was an only child in a poor Danish family. He began writing plays and poetry at a young age. He left home at age fourteen to Copenhagen to find fortune in theatre. In 1835, he published his first fairytale. Since then he has published over two hundred fairytales. Anderson died on August 4, 1875 to liver cancer. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Jerry Pinkney was born in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, on December 22, 1939. He started to draw at the age of four years. He was noticed for his talent in junior high school and was encouraged to become an artist. As a teen, he focused on commercial art and later on received a scholarship for college. He had a variety of positions in design and illustration. As an adult he soon focused on illustrating children’s books. Pinkney is still alive today.
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Barnes & Noble] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 1.5;">Movie on youtube in three parts: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [|The Ugly Duckling(Modern Classics of Hans Christian Andersen) 1/3] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [|The Ugly Duckling(Modern Classics of Hans Christian Andersen) 2/3] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [|The Ugly Duckling(Modern Classics of Hans Christian Andersen) 3/3]
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