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    The Ugly Duckling and Other Fairy Tales
    The Ugly Duckling and Other Fairy Tales
    The Ugly Duckling and Other Fairy Tales
    Ebook85 pages1 hour

    The Ugly Duckling and Other Fairy Tales

    By Hans Christian Andersen

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    About this ebook

    Among the most beloved fairy tales in literature, the stories of Hans Christian Andersen have been delighting children and adults for generations. Their simplicity, humor, imaginative power, and universality have made them classics all over the world.
    Now readers can enjoy eight favorite tales from the great Danish storyteller: "The Ugly Duckling," "The Red Shoes," "Thumbelina," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Little Match Girl," "The Princess and the Pea," and "The Nightingale."
    Newly reset in large easy-to-read type, these stories invite youngsters to enter a magical kingdom of fable fantasy and adventure. Adults, too, will find much of interest here, for the stories often contain elements only fully appreciated by older readers. In short, as Andersen himself insisted, these tales were written for all ages. Gathered together in this inexpensive volume, they represent hours of enjoyable entertainment in the company of one of the world's great storytellers. Six delightful illustrations by Harriet Golden enhance the text.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateApr 30, 2012
    ISBN9780486158778
    Author

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet best remembered for his fairy tales, both original and retold, including the beloved classics "Thumbelina," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Fir Tree," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Princess and the Pea," "The Red Shoes," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Snow Queen." 

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    • 2/5
      This book contains some of Hans Christian Anderson's classic folk stories. Some of the stories are a little long-winded, and some this edition does not have enough pictures to keep a younger child's interest. This book is better for reading aloud if you just want to tell a story without visuals. The pictures do not have colors and are not very engaging. Although photocopies could be made for students to color. The stories do have great morals for students to ponder.

    Book preview

    The Ugly Duckling and Other Fairy Tales - Hans Christian Andersen

    Nightingale

    The Ugly Duckling

    IN A SUNNY SPOT in the country stood an old mansion surrounded by a deep moat. Great dock leaves grew from the walls of the house right down to the water’s edge; some of them were so tall that a small child could stand upright under them. In amongst the leaves it was as secluded as in the depths of a forest; and there a duck was sitting on her nest. Her little ducklings were just about to be hatched, but she was nearly tired of sitting; it had lasted such a long time. Moreover, she had very few visitors, as the other ducks liked swimming about in the moat better than waddling up to sit under the dock leaves and gossip with her.

    At last one egg after another began to crack. Cheep, cheep! they said. All the chicks had come to life, and were poking out their heads.

    Quack! quack! said the duck; they all quacked their hardest, and looked about them on all sides among the green leaves; their mother allowed them to look as much as they liked, for green is good for the eyes.

    How big the world is, to be sure! said all the young ones; for they certainly had ever so much more room to move about than when they were inside in the egg shell.

    Do you imagine this is the whole world? said the mother. It stretches a long way on the other side of the garden, right into the parson’s field; but I have never been as far as that! I suppose you are all here now? and she got up. No! I declare I have not got you all yet! The biggest egg is still there; how long is it going to last? and she settled herself on the nest again.

    Well, how are you getting on? said an old duck who had come to pay her a visit.

    This one egg is taking such a long time, answered the sitting duck, the shell will not crack; but now you must look at the others; they are the finest ducklings I have ever seen! they are all exactly like their father, the rascal! he never comes to see me.

    Let me look at the egg that won’t crack, said the old duck. You may be sure that it is a turkey’s egg! I have been cheated like that once, and I had no end of trouble and worry with the creatures, for I may tell you that they are afraid of the water. I could not get them into it; I quacked and snapped at them, but it was no good. Let me see the egg! Yes, it is a turkey’s egg! You just let it alone and teach the other children to swim.

    I will sit on it a little longer; I have sat so long already, that I may as well go on till the Midsummer Fair comes round.

    Please yourself, said the old duck, and she went away.

    At last the big egg cracked. Cheep, cheep! said the young one and tumbled out; how big and ugly he was! The duck looked at him.

    That is a monstrous big duckling, she said; none of the others looked like that; can he be a turkey chick? Well, we shall soon find that out; into the water he shall go, if I have to kick him in myself.

    Next day was gloriously fine, and the sun shone on all the green dock leaves. The mother duck with her whole family went down to the moat.

    Splash, into the water she sprang. Quack, quack! she said, and one duckling plumped in after the other. The water dashed over their heads, but they came up again and floated beautifully; their legs went of themselves, and they were all there; even the big ugly gray one swam about with them.

    Cheep, cheep! said the young one and tumbled out.

    No, that is no turkey, she said. How beautifully he uses his legs and how erect he holds himself: he is my own chick! after all, he is not so bad when you come to look at him properly. Quack, quack! Now come with me and I will take you into the world, and introduce you to the duckyard; but keep close to me all the time, so that no one may tread upon you, and beware of the cat!

    They went into the duckyard. There was a fearful uproar going on, for two broods were fighting for the head of an eel, and in the end the cat captured it.

    That’s how things go in this world, said the mother duck, and she licked her bill, for she wanted the eel’s head herself.

    Use your legs, said she; mind you quack properly, and bend your necks to the old duck over there! She is the grandest of them all; she has Spanish blood in her veins and that accounts for her size, and, do you see? she has a red rag round her leg; that is a wonderfully fine thing, and the most extraordinary mark of distinction any duck can have. It shows clearly that she is not to be parted with, and that she is worthy of recognition both by beasts and men! Quack now! don’t turn your toes in; a well brought up duckling keeps his legs wide apart just like father and mother; that’s it, now bend your necks, and say quack!

    They did as they were bid, but the other ducks round about looked at

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