BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pinkney, Jerry. THE UGLY DUCKLING. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. New York, NY. Morrow Junior Books. ISBN 978-0-688-15933-7
PLOT SUMMARY
An ugly duckling is hatched amongst a group of ducklings. His mother spends her days defending him against other animals who ostracize him for how he looks. His own siblings chased him, other ducks bit him and hens pecked at him. He could no longer take the hurt and so he went away. While trying to survive on his own, he is faced with danger and struggles to find food to nourish himself. He is rescued by a man, who breaks him out of a frozen lake, hoping to save the ugly duckling; however, the ugly duckling is used to being teased so he flies away. As spring blossoms, so does the ugly duckling. He no longer sees himself as ugly, he then realizes he is a beautiful swan.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In Pinkney’s classic story adaptation from Hans Christian Anderson, THE UGLY DUCKLING, he sets the pacing and mood for the story with seasonal changes in the pond and on land and focuses on the characters' emotions with close-up watercolor scenes wrapped around the text. The illustrations capture detail of the scenery in every page and the pastel colors give the story an old time feeling. The ugly duckling’s reaction to his emotions of looking and feeling different is a universal theme that humans experience for standing out. The emotion he endures of suffering and feeling alone throughout his year of being ostracized were necessary for growth and once overcome he celebrates with gratitude and appreciation.
REVIEW EXCERPTS/ AWARDS
Kirkus Reviews (1999): “ Outstanding illustrations and some new characters make Pinkney’s retelling of a familiar tale memorable.”
School Library Journal (May 1999): “The appeal of this tale is as strong as it was 150 years ago, and Pinkney has done an admirable job of repackaging it for a new generation.”
*ALA Notable Children’s Books, 2000
*Booklist starred, 03/01/99
*Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, 03/01/99
*Caldecott Honor, 2000
*Horn Book Magazine, 05/01/99
*Kirkus Reviews, 03/01/99
CONNECTIONS
-This story book is large enough to share for a group to read aloud.
-It is a long read and I would recommend for an adult to lead the reading as children follow along to admire the details on each page.
-There is a great social emotional learning component that can be taught and reinforced for accepting yourself for self-esteem and self-awareness.
Other stories about being different and self-esteem:
Roeder, Vanessa. THE BOX TURTLE. ISBN 978-0-7352-3050-7
Merlan, Paula. A SURPRISE FOR MRS. TORTOISE. ISBN 978-84-946333-4-8
Doerrfeld, Cori. BENEATH. ISBN 978-0-316-31226-4
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