The Ugly Duckling

Written by Hans Christian Andersen

Narrated by Judy Kriz

"The Ugly Duckling"  is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Andersen lavished great care on this story, spending a year perfecting it. It was first published in 1844. 
A mother duck hatches six pretty little ducklings. A seventh bird is hatched. He is homely. The other ducks abuse him. He runs away. He is given a home by an old woman. Her cat and hen do not like him. He runs away again. Winter comes and a kind farmer gives him a home. The little bird almost dies. Spring comes. The "ugly duckling" has grown into a beautiful swan. The other swans welcome him as their own. They bow to him. He is happy for the first time in his life.
The moral of the tale: "it does not matter if you were born in a duck yard if you have lain in a swan's egg." 
Andersen considered the story "a reflection of my own life."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Strelbytskyy Multimedia Publishing
• Release date: Apr 15, 2024

Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Anderson (1805–75) was a Danish writer, best known for his universally recognised children’s fairy tales, of which there are over 150. He also wrote plays, novels, poems and travel essays.