Summary:
A duckling hatches from his egg only to find out that he looks completely different from his siblings. The duckling is bullied from his siblings and peers so he decides to leave the farm and live with wild geese. Unfortunately, the wild geese are killed off during hunting season. The duckling continues to look for a place to belong but is constantly rejected until he comes across a pond full of swans. As he looks at his reflection in the water, he realizes that he looks just like the other swans. Even some children claim that he is the most beautiful of all the swans.

Personal Reaction:
This is always a good story to tell children, especially at a young age. It helps explain that just because someone looks different, it’s still not right to judge them or make fun of them. It’s also a good story for those children that are different in that it tells them it’s ok to be yourself and just because someone is picking on you doesn’t mean you won’t be successful later in life. The retelling of this story was also very nice in that it went into more detail about the ducklings feelings.

Classroom Extension:
1) Have an open discussion about bullying. Explain why it’s wrong, what to do when you see someone being bullied and the different types of bullying.
2) Talk about the differences between ducks and swans. ( )