The Ugly Duckling
"The Ugly Duckling" was written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen in 1843. Andersen grew up very poor and was often looked down upon, so he wove his own life into the story. The moment the ugly duckling turns into a swan has encouraged countless children who felt they weren't good enough: everyone has their day to shine.
Mother Duck sat on her warm nest, carefully keeping a whole clutch of eggs cozy. She looked at the eggs and whispered, "Hurry up and come out — Mama can't wait to meet you".
The next day, the eggs hatched one by one with little cracks, and the chirping yellow ducklings were so cute. Only one extra-large egg stayed silent, quietly waiting in the corner — what could be hiding inside?
A little later, the big egg finally cracked open, and out crawled a big, grey little duck. The other ducklings pointed at him and laughed at how ugly he was.
In the days that followed, the duckling was laughed at and pushed away, and no one wanted to play with him. He felt so sad, as if nobody there loved him, and thought it was time to leave.
One early morning, while everyone was still asleep, the duckling quietly left home. Step by step he walked out of the farm, beginning his very first journey of his own.
As he wandered along, he met a flock of wild ducks by the reeds, who curiously eyed the strange visitor. The wild ducks said he was not one of them and told him to keep going forward, so the duckling set off again.
Before long, winter came — the north wind howled, he curled up shivering with cold, and his tummy rumbled with hunger. Looking at the grey sky, he wondered, "When will spring come".
It was a kind farmer, who saw him shivering all over with cold and carried him home. The house was warm and cozy, the farmer fed him hot, tasty food, and at last he could wait for spring in peace.
Soon the ice and snow melted, spring arrived, the duckling had grown much bigger, and it was time to say goodbye to the farmer. He waved his wing gratefully at the farmer and flew up into the blue sky.
He flew and flew, until he reached a beautiful, beautiful lake, its water clear as a mirror. On the lake, three snow-white swans were swimming gracefully.
The duckling looked at them and thought, "They are so beautiful and noble, and I'm so plain — I'd be too shy to go near". He stood quietly by the lake, not daring to step forward, and couldn't help glancing down at the water.
He was startled: the grey duckling was gone, and in the water was a beautiful swan with a long neck and snow-white feathers. He flapped his wings and cried with joy, "Wow, that's me".
Seeing him, the three swans happily swam over to greet him, saying, "Come swim with us — welcome". He was no longer a grey duckling, but a beautiful, confident swan, and at last he understood: everyone has their own beauty.
