The Ugly Duckling

 The Ugly Duckling 

By Hans Christian Andersen
Adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney



The Ugly Duckling is a story about a young duckling that all the other animals make fun of, tease, and call ugly. Unknown to the duckling and the other animals, he is actually a swan that was misplaced in a ducks nest. Despite being loved and accept by his mother, the ugly duckling ventures out into the world to find a place he is understood and accepted. When spring arrives, the duckling spots a flock of beautiful white swans and decides to join them. Worried he will not be accepted, the duckling finds out that he is actually one of them. The story ends with the duckling finally finding his home and place in the world.


Jerry Pinkney's adaption of the classic story is a Caldecott Honor Book. The Caldecott Honor recognizes the preceding year's most distinguished American picture book for children. In his adaptation, Pinkney captures the spirit of Hans Christian Andersen's original tale, while making the story attractive to a modern audience. Readers today can still relate to the ugly duckling's feeling of loneliness, hopelessness, and longing to fit in. Young children are able to identify with the duckling as he his teased and struggles to find acceptance. The ending of the story sends a message of hope to readers, that one day they will find where they belong. 


Pinkney's adaptation of the book rightly deserves the Caldecott Honor. Pinkney's realistic watercolor illustrations are beautiful and draw the reader in. Additionally, the soft watercolors help lend to the sensitive message of the story. The illustrations span two-pages, allowing for more complete and detailed images. The words on the page are double-spaced, making the text more easily consumable for young readers. Pinkney's illustrations allow the reader to feel like they are in the story.  When the duckling launches into flight, the reader can almost feel the movement of the duckling's wings. When the duckling is stuck in the ice pond, the cold colors of the illustrations put the readers in the cold beside the duckling. Through his beautiful illustrations, Pinkney is able to engage a new modern audience with an old tale. His re-envisioned story allows readers to relate more to the duckling and feel the message of the story coming through the pages. 

The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen; adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Morrow Junior Books (1999). 

For more information about Jerry Pinkney click here. 


Word Count: 375


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