the ugly duckling

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The Ugly Duckling

The poor ugly duckling looks very different from

the other ducklings. His duck family tease him

and make him feel unwanted even though he

simply wants to be loved and belong. So he runs

away and sets off on a long and lonely journey.

Will he ever be loved and accepted for who he is?

Best Loved Tales for Africa

Retold by Sindiwe MagonaIllustrations by Natalie Hinrichsen

Best Loved Tales for AfricaGrowing a love of reading

9 781770 098237

ISBN 978-1-77009-823-7www.jacana.co.za

Read aloud, read together, read alone, read forever!

The U

gly Du

ckling

Retold by Sin

diwe M

agon

a Illu

stration

s by Na

talie H

inrich

sen

Ugly Duckling Cover.indd 1 2010/10/11 3:28 PM

The Ugly Duckling

Retold by Sindiwe MagonaIllustrations by Natalie Hinrichsen

Ugly Duckling.indd 1 2010/10/11 11:44 AM

For NkosazanaSindiwe Magona

For AidanNatalie Hinrichsen

First published by Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd in 2010

10 Orange StreetSunnysideAuckland Park 2092South Africa(+27 11) 628-3200www.jacana.co.za

© Text: Sindiwe Magona, 2010© Images: Natalie Hinrichsen, 2010 Series Editor: Carole Bloch

All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-1-77009-823-7

Set in ITC Stone Informal Std 14/22pt Printed and bound by Ultra Litho (Pty) Limited, JohannesburgJob no. 001245

See a complete list of Jacana titles at www.jacana.co.za

Printed on Sappi Triple Green Print Matt 250g/m² and 170g/m² donated by Sappi.

Triple Green paper is produced from sustainable resources (bagasse - post agricultural sugar cane waste and renewable forestry fibre) and is recyclable and biodegradable.


Once upon a time there was a duckling who

lived on a wide open vlei with his family.

He was a sad little duck because nobody seemed

to like him, not even his own brothers and sisters.


A big tear rolled down the little duckling’s cheek.

‘Ugly duckling! Ugly duckling! That is what

everybody calls me. Nobody loves me in the

whole wide world!’ he sobbed.

‘That’s not true, darling! Mama loves you!’

Mama Duck smiled at her last-hatched chick.

He was a strange little fellow. But he was still

her baby and she loved him with all her heart.


‘My goodness!’ said Papa Duck. ‘This chick is

always hungry. If we don’t watch him, there

won’t be any food left for the others.’

Once again, the little duckling felt unloved.

He grew faster than his sisters and brothers

and he ate too much!


The birds on the wide open vlei teased the ugly

duckling too.

‘You’re not fluffy and yellow like your brothers

and sisters,’ whispered the spiteful blue crane.


‘You’re bigger than the rest,’ laughed

the haughty black coot.

‘You’re ugly!’ they all said together.


No one ever cuddled the little ugly duckling

and he felt very lonely.


But when he ate, he forgot that he was lonely.

So he ate and ate and ate.

And he grew bigger and bigger and bigger.


One day the ugly duckling felt so miserable

that a single tear fell from one eye. Trying to

stop more tears from falling, he looked down.

Then, he saw his reflection. He gasped!

It looked rippled and wrinkly on the waves.


The next day, he saw a flock of big, white

birds with long, graceful necks and wide,

wide wings. They were beautiful swans.


Winter was coming and they were flying

off to the summer sunshine and blue

skies over the sea.

‘Oh, how magnificent they are,’

thought the ugly duckling. ‘I wish

I was beautiful like them.’


the ugly duckling

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