Ugly Duckling

by Hans Christian Andersen, Bernadette Watts (Illustrator)

Overview

Each season brings a new obstacle for the unloved duckling--from summer on a farm where the other animals tease him to a cold, lonely winter on a frozen pond--but the duckling continues on his search for acceptance. At last spring arrives, and with it comes the duckling's glorious discovery that he has grown into the most noble of creatures, a swan.

This child-friendly edition introduces the next generation of readers to the magic of Hans Christian Andersen.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735821460
Publisher:	NorthSouth Books
Publication date:	01/01/2008
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.46(w) x 11.28(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Bernadette Watts, known throughout Europe simply as Bernadette, has illustrated many dozens of folk- and fairy tales. Born in England, she loved to draw from childhood. She studied at the Maidstone Art School in Kent, UK for a time under the tutelage of Brian Wildsmith. Bernadette’s many beautiful books include The Snow Queen and The Bremen Town Musicians. Bernadette finds her inspiration in nature. Today she lives and works in Kent. She has been illustrating for NorthSouth Books and NordSüd Verlag since the beginning of her career 50 years ago.

Date of Birth:

April 2, 1805

Date of Death:

August 4, 1875

Place of Birth:

Odense, Denmark

Place of Death:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Editorial Reviews

An unusually beautiful version of an old favorite.

An unusually beautiful version of an old favorite.
— Book

Hans Christian Andersen

A gentler, milder version of Andersen's classic tale of the misunderstood cygnet, inexplicably despised for his comparatively large size and definite lack of yellow but not for any real ugliness. Vainio reveals through delicate watercolors the whitish-gray fluff of a charming, tender baby desperately alone in a soft, beautiful world. Though the illustrations are lovely, they lack power. In every situation where the innocent swan is abused and finds no respite from hatred, the art handles this horror too gently. His reactions to rejection and verbal abuse are revealed in the illustrations, with a slight incline of his head showing his dejection. He is also unnaturally slow in growing, remaining a fuzzy baby over the course of months and then suddenly growing to adulthood in a page turn-a problem inherent in most illustrated versions of the tale. The unnamed translator has edited out the most violent verbal and physical abuse found in the original, making a place for it in collections for younger picture-book readers yet losing the story's raw spark. (Picture book/fairy tale. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews