The Ugly Duckling

The Ugly Duckling

by

Patches the Story Dog

Patches the Story Dog

A story about what makes you different may be what makes you beautiful

for your Preschooler

Preschooler Classic Characters Fables for Kids

Make this story your own!

Remix Story
Mother Duck stands proudly beside the farmyard pond, looking down at three small yellow ducklings who have just hatched from their eggs, with broken eggshell pieces around them on the grassy bank. In the background, a sunlit farmyard with a red barn and a wooden fence under a bright blue sky.

One warm morning, eggs cracked open by the pond. Pop! Pop! Pop! Out came fuzzy yellow ducklings, one by one. Mother Duck smiled. "Welcome, little ones!" she said.

Ugly Duckling tumbles out of a large cracked egg on the grassy bank near the pond, while Mother Duck leans down gently toward him, with the three yellow ducklings watching curiously nearby. In the background, tall green reeds and cattails along the edge of the sunlit farmyard pond.

But one egg was bigger. Crack! Out tumbled a duckling who was not yellow at all. He was dusty gray and a little bit clumsy. "Oh my," said Mother Duck. "You are different. But you are mine."

Ugly Duckling splashes in the sunlit farmyard pond while the three yellow ducklings point and laugh at him from a short distance away in the water. In the background, lily pads and green reeds along the shimmering pond surface.

The yellow ducklings splashed in the pond. Splash! Splash! Splash! Ugly Duckling splashed too. But the yellow ducklings laughed. "You look funny!" they said. "You are too gray! You are too big!"

Ugly Duckling stands alone at the edge of the sunlit farmyard pond, peering down at his own gray reflection in the still water, looking sad. In the background, the farmyard fence and soft golden sunlight filtering through willow branches.

Ugly Duckling looked down at the water. He saw his gray feathers. He saw his big feet. He did not look like the others. "Why am I so different?" he asked quietly.

Mother Duck wraps one snowy white wing gently around Ugly Duckling, pulling him close to her side on the grassy bank near the pond, both looking at each other warmly. In the background, a peaceful farmyard meadow dotted with small wildflowers.

Mother Duck waddled over. She was snowy white and warm. She tucked Ugly Duckling under her wing. "Being different is not bad," she said softly. "You are special in your own way. And I love you just as you are."

Ugly Duckling shrinks back sadly as a bossy red hen and a grumpy gray goose stand before him in the farmyard, both looking cross with beaks open wide. In the background, the red barn and scattered hay bales in the dusty farmyard.

But the farmyard was not always kind. A bossy red hen clucked, "You do not belong here!" A grumpy goose honked, "Go away, gray thing!" The mean words stung like cold rain.

Ugly Duckling walks alone down a narrow dirt path leading away from the farmyard, his head hanging low, autumn leaves drifting around him. In the background, the distant farmyard fading behind bare autumn trees and a cloudy gray sky.

Ugly Duckling walked away from the farmyard. His feet went pat, pat, pat on the cold ground. "If they do not want me," he whispered, "I will find a place where I belong." He felt lonely, but he kept walking.

Ugly Duckling sits huddled on the edge of a wintry frozen lake, his head tucked under one wing, snowflakes falling gently around him. In the background, a frozen lake stretching out under a pale wintry sky with snow-covered trees along the shore.

Winter came. Snow fell softly. Shhhh. The lake turned to ice. Ugly Duckling was cold and alone. He tucked his head under his wing to stay warm. "I will not give up," he said. "Spring will come."

Ugly Duckling stands on a graceful spring riverbank, stretching out two large, elegant white-feathered wings wide, looking surprised and delighted. In the background, a sparkling spring river lined with blooming pink and white wildflowers and budding green trees.

And spring did come! The ice melted. Drip, drip, drip. Flowers popped up. Birds sang. Ugly Duckling stretched his wings wide. They felt big and strong! "Something feels different," he said.

Ugly Duckling — now revealed as a graceful young swan with snowy white plumage and a long elegant neck — gazes down at his stunning reflection in the clear spring river, eyes wide with wonder. In the background, a peaceful spring riverbank with soft green grass and flowering bushes reflected in the water.

He looked down into the clear river water. He did not see a gray duckling anymore. He saw long white feathers. He saw a graceful neck. "That is me?" he gasped. He was a swan! A beautiful swan!

Ugly Duckling, now a young swan, swims on the spring river as two tall, elegant adult swans glide beside him, all three touching necks gently in greeting. In the background, a graceful spring riverbank with weeping willows and soft golden afternoon light on the water.

Two tall, graceful swans glided over. They dipped their heads. "Welcome, young swan," they said kindly. "You are one of us. You always were." Ugly Duckling felt warm inside for the first time in a long, long while.

Mother Duck stands on the grassy spring riverbank, smiling proudly, while the young swan — formerly Ugly Duckling — glides gracefully on the sparkling river ahead of her, looking forward toward the sunlit horizon. In the background, a wide, shining river stretching toward distant green hills under a warm golden sunset sky.

From the riverbank, Mother Duck watched and smiled. She had always known he was special. The young swan looked back at her, then forward at the wide, shining river ahead. There was so much world to see — and now he knew he was ready.

Browse More Stories

from the Fable Public Library

Preschooler Classic Characters Fables for Kids