The Ugly Duckling

Beside the burdock leaves, Mother Duck waited for her eggs to hatch. Little yellow ducklings came out first. The last egg took longer, and a larger gray bird emerged.

He looked different from the others, but Mother Duck wanted to know how he swam. She led the family down to the pond.

At the pond, the gray duckling slipped into the water and swam beautifully. Mother Duck felt proud of him. She led her young birds into the farmyard to meet everyone.

There the other birds laughed at his size and color. Mother defended him, but their words still hurt.

The farmyard birds would not stop teasing and pecking at the gray duckling. One day he squeezed through a gap in the fence and ran as far as he could.

He found a marsh where wild ducks rested among the reeds. They let him stay, though they too noticed how different he looked.