The Ugly Duckling

Once upon a time, a mother duck sat on her eggs until they hatched into cute, yellow ducklings. But one egg was different. It was bigger and took longer to hatch. When it finally did, out came a strange-looking duckling. He was much larger and didn't look like his brothers and sisters.

The other ducks, even his siblings, didn't want to play with him because he was different. They called him the Ugly Duckling, and this made him very sad. So, the Ugly Duckling decided to leave home and find friends who would like him for who he was.

He met many animals on his journey, but they all turned him away because of his looks. The Ugly Duckling felt very lonely and wished he could be like the beautiful swans he saw in the lake.

Winter came, and it was very cold. The Ugly Duckling found a small pond to stay, but the water froze with him in it! A kind farmer found him and took him home, but the farmer's cat and hen teased him too.

When spring arrived, the Ugly Duckling went back to the lake. He saw the beautiful swans again and felt sad because he would never be as lovely as they were. But when he looked at his reflection in the water, he was shocked! He was not an ugly duckling anymore; he had grown into a beautiful swan.

The other swans welcomed him, and he was finally happy. He realized it didn't matter what others thought of him; what mattered was how he saw himself. And he lived happily ever after, swimming and playing with his new friends, the swans.