The Ugly Duckling is a fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson that was created in. This story is known for its emotional impact it has on readers through showing the feelings and struggles of a duckling who feels like he does not belong anywhere. It can be used in the classroom to teach valuable life lessons about bullying, perseverance, self-discovery and self-acceptance. The ending within this book is one of the few tales this author has with a happy ending. This story shows the harsh realities of life but also ends with the duckling being accepted and transformed. 

In the Ugly Duckling we see a mother duck, whose eggs are hatching. The last of her baby birds to hatch is a larger bird than the other ducklings. The other birds and animals around on the farm consider it to be ‘ugly’. They mock and vilify him, and he leaves his mother and siblings behind. After a journey of searching for a place to belong only to continue to be rejected. The miserable duckling has given up on life by this point, and decides to throw himself into the path of the large swans and be killed, so he cannot be abused and rejected for being ‘ugly’ any more. But the swans don’t devour him but instead welcome him with open arms as one of their own. The ugly duckling catches sight of his own reflection in the water, he sees he is not an ugly duckling, but is a beautiful, elegant swan. He sees his beauty and finds his family, this majestic swan takes flight with the flock of swans feeling accepted and happy. 

This retelling of The Ugly Duckling is a story by Stephanie Champisi that reimagines the classic tale into a story about a dumpling who is uneaten and ignored, causing the feeling of insecurity to arise. But when an encouraging cockroach sees the dumpling’s inner beauty, this unlikely duo goes on an adventure that leads the ugly dumpling to discover its true identity and realize that being different is beautiful after all. This can be a good alternative to use within the classroom because it can be engaging and efficient in teaching the same lessons that The Ugly Duckling does but is fun to read and can help kids imagine the classic story in a new way and make connections and comparisons. 

The ugly duckling has been used to teach the lesson of self - acceptance and belonging in other forms of media like tv shows and movies. For example, in Lilo and Stitch the ugly duckling story is used to show Stitches isolation and feelings of rejection which can be relatable to children who may be going through something similar.