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The Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling retells Hans Christian Andersen’s tale in English and Persian. A big gray chick hatches last, is teased off the farm by the yellow ducklings, and wanders through a storm, an old woman’s hut and a frozen winter before a farmer takes him in. In spring he meets the beautiful birds he once watched fly overhead. 47-page PDF by Reza Nazari.
A story about being teased, keeping going, and finding where you belong
Mama Duck counts five yellow ducklings and knows there should be six. The last egg hatches a day late, and out comes a big dark-gray chick who walks with a wobble. The Ugly Duckling follows him as his brothers and sisters chase him away, a dog sniffs him and walks off, and a hen and a tomcat throw him out of a warm hut.
This retelling adds gentle touches of its own: a kind farmer keeps him warm through the winter, and at the end the swans introduce friends of every kind, a Pelican who oversleeps and an Egret who lost its flock on a windy day. The story is told in English and Persian, passage by passage.
At a glance
About the story
The story
A late egg, a chick who looks different, a lonely journey through a storm and a hard winter, and a spring morning when he sees his own reflection on the lake.
What children learn
That teasing hurts, that looks change as we grow, and that real friends welcome you for who you are. The swans make that point themselves at the end.
How the Persian is written
Modern Persian without vowel marks, with the ducks’ «کواک، کواک» (quack, quack) and plenty of short spoken lines.
Good for
Children who feel different, siblings who squabble, and anyone starting a shelf of Andersen’s tales in Persian.
Sample lines
Three lines from the first pages, with the book’s English:
| Persian | English |
|---|---|
| هنوز یک تخم بزرگ در لانه باقی مانده بود. | There was still one big egg left in the nest. |
| وقتی به دریاچه رسیدند، همهی اردکهای زرد به داخل آب پریدند و به دنبال مامان اردک رفتند و با خوشحالی شنا کردند. | When they reached the lake, each yellow duck jumped in and followed Mama Duck, swimming happily. |
| مامان اردک با خود فکر کرد: «خوب است، حداقل میتواند شنا کند». | “Well,” Mama Duck thought to herself, “at least he can swim.” |
Reading it together
- Count the ducklings with Mama Duck in Persian: یک، دو، سه، چهار، پنج (yek, do, se, chahâr, panj).
- Read each passage in English, then in Persian, and let your child make the quacking sounds.
- Stop when the ducklings tease him and ask how he feels, and what Mama Duck would say.
- Follow the seasons in the story, storm, autumn, winter, spring, and name them in Persian with the free Persian vocabulary lessons.
Who this book is for
A good fit if you
- want a classic about kindness to read with a child of 5 to 9
- have a child who has been left out or teased
- like stories with many animal characters and short dialogue
Look elsewhere if you
- need something very short for a toddler; The Little Red Hen is 26 pages
- want Andersen’s original ending word for word; this is a free retelling with new characters such as Pelican and Egret
Use it with
- The Story of Hans Christian Andersen: the life of the man who first wrote this tale.
- The Steadfast Tin Soldier: another Andersen story in English and Persian.
- Farsi Children Books Bundle: the whole kids collection.
Common questions
What age is it for?
About 5 to 9. It is long enough to read over two evenings, and the sad middle turns happy at the end.
Is it the original Andersen story?
It follows Andersen’s plot but is retold for young children, with a kind farmer, a happy spring and new friends among the swans.
Is the whole story in both languages?
Yes. Every English passage has a Persian translation.
What do I get after I buy?
The Ugly Duckling as a 47-page PDF, which you can download as soon as you check out and read on a tablet or computer or print at home.
Is there a paperback?
Yes. Amazon sells the printed edition, and this page sells the PDF.
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