Traditional Literature Book Blog #1

Title: The Ugly Duckling
Author:  Hans Andersen
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Copyright: 1999
Number of Pages: 40
Genre: Traditional Literature

 

     The Ugly Duckling is a classic story about a young duck who hatched looking a little different than the rest of the eggs. While everyone around him points out how ugly he is, his mom states that he is just special. Though the duck seems to be an ugly one, he grows up to surprise the rest. He becomes a beautiful swan, admired by many. The illustrations for this book are simple but detailed. They are colorful, warm, and inviting. The pictures seem to be done in color pencil and then perhaps watercolor paint. Throughout all the illustrations a sense of loneliness by the ugly duckling can be felt by its readers.

Grade: Kindergarten
Content Area: Kindness  

     This book could be applied to a younger classroom such as Kindergarten to teach kindness. After the teacher reads the book, the class could come up with some ways that other ducks could have been nicer to the ugly duckling. They could also talk about how just because someone looks different does not mean we should treat them different. The class could make a kindness board and add check marks or tallies each time they were able to do something kind for someone else. For ELL students, the teacher could make sure she has shown them previous pictures of swans and ducks, so that they understand the differences and have a background knowledge on the birds.