The Ugly Duckling: It is a famous story for kids about an ugly duckling. The duckling tries to settle in the world, but no one accepts him. At last, he finally realizes who he is, and the story ends happily.
It was the summer season when flowers were blooming and a fragrance was everywhere. There was a farmhouse near a lake where many animals were living.
One of them was a mama duck who was warming her eggs. A mama duck has to sit on her eggs to provide warmth.
“I can’t wait to see my babies, I’m so eager,” Mama duck said. She was warming the eggs for a very long time. But her warmth had finally worked, and all the eggs started hatching.
There were five eggs, and four of them hatched.
“Oh! my eggs are finally hatching,” Mama duck said, looking at her eggs.
Four of those eggs hatched, and four little yellow ducklings came out.
“Quack, quack, quack,” The ducklings said.
Mama duck was very happy. She spread her wings and gave all of her babies a hug.
“You all are so sweet and cute,” She said.
“Quack quack!” Ducklings said.
Suddenly, Mama duck sees her nest, and one egg has not hatched yet. It was bigger than the others and white in colour.
“Aw! this poor egg, it’s taking more time than his siblings,” Mama duck said. She sat on the egg to warm it. Next day, that big egg hatched too. Everyone was excited to welcome the new duckling.
As the egg hatched, the family saw a grey-coloured duckling.
Also read the story of a squirrel who lost her home in The Magical Pond.
“It’s an ugly duckling,” The other ducklings said. Mama duck was confused because her other babies were yellow, but this new baby was grey.
“Don’t say him ugly,” Mama duck said to the other ducklings. “Let’s go to the lake,” She instructed.
A baby is never ugly for a mother. Mama duck was polite to the grey duckling, but the siblings were rude.
“You can’t be our brother, you are ugly and don’t look like us,” The yellow ducklings said to the ugly duckling. They didn’t allow him to play with them.
The ugly duckling felt sadness, and one day he left the family.
“My family doesn’t like me because I’m ugly,” He thought and tried to get another family.
On his way, he met two other duck families but they also rejected him. Now, the ugly duckling was depressed. Suddenly, a hungry dog came to his path, and he was shocked. However, the dog sniffed at him but rejected him.
“I’m so ugly that even the dog doesn’t want to eat me,” The ugly duckling said.
He kept on walking but a strong thunderstorm in the dark stopped his journey.
“I need a shelter to stay in,” He thought and looked for a shelter nearby. His eyes fell on a hut, and the door was slightly open.
The ugly duckling went inside and there was an old woman, a hen and a cat there. The old woman saw the duckling and lifted him in her arms.
“Poor duckling, it’s a thunderstorm outside. You should stay here with my other pets,” The old woman said.
But the cat and hen didn’t accept him.
“You are such an ugly duckling. You should not stay among us,” The cat said.
“Go away, you poor duckling,” The hen said.
Our duckling had no option but to leave there. He went out in the thunderstorm and faced all the difficulties.
He reached another lake and started living there. He used to eat fish from the lake, and everything looked better. But as the season changed, winters came.
Now, the duckling couldn’t swim because the lake was frozen. He had no food, and the snow on the ground made life worse.
“Why is my life so difficult? No one accepted me because I’m ugly, and I’m alone here in this harsh winter,” He said.
His eyes were closed in sadness when a kind farmer came.
“You don’t deserve to live in the snow, you little duckling,” The farmer said. He was very kind, and he took the duckling home.
The warmth at the farmer’s home healed the duckling. He was well cared for by the farmer. For the complete winter season, the duckling ate well and grew.
Winter season has gone, and the farmer brought the duckling back to the lake.
“Now the winters are gone, you should swim and enjoy your life,” The farmer said and smiled.
The ugly duckling had grown by this time. He saw some beautiful white birds and said, “These birds are so beautiful. They will not accept me either.”
He was turning away when he saw his reflection in the water.
“Who is this?” He was puzzled because in the reflection there was a beautiful white bird.
He waved his wings and realised that it was his reflection. He had become a beautiful white swan.
“Why don’t you join us,” One swan asked. For the first time in his life, he was invited by someone.
Our ugly duckling wasn’t ugly at all now. He was a beautiful swan and animals who rejected him for his ugliness didn’t realise how special he is.
He joined other swans and lived happily afterwards.