Week 4: Traditional
book reflection
Pinkney, J. (1999). The ugly duckling. New York: Morrow
Junior Books
The genre of “The Ugly Duckling” by Jerry Pinkney is a new adaptation
to a traditional children’s book. The plot is a great story about a little
duckling that didn’t look like the rest of his brothers and sisters. With the exception of his mother who loves
and accepts him all of the animals pick on and tease him without mercy. The duckling leaves the farm where he was
born, to venture out into the world. The
story takes you on the journey of the awkward bird, and of the beautiful transition
that takes place. Finally, the duckling
makes a joyful discovery and finds his home.
The story brings a message of hope that will appeal to anyone who has
struggled to fit into the world around them.
There are many themes that
you could derive from this story. The
one that I like to use is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is true from the mother’s love to the
duckling.
“The Ugly Duckling” has a
straightforward story line with the duckling as the main character. The language
is descriptive enough to follow the pictures, but not overly complex for
children. The illustrations, by Pinkney, are beautifully done in watercolors that
help bring the drama to life.
The book level is 4.5 and can be
used in the classroom when studying morals of stories. The reading standard that could be used is RL
3.2: recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse
cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is
conveyed through key details in the text.
You could also compare and contrast the similarities and differences
between ducks and swans. This book could
also be used with character education on how to treat people who might look
different than others.
Big Questions: Why would someone tease and make fun of
people who look different from them? Why did the Ugly Duckling have to find
birds that looked like him to know and be comfortable with who he was?
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