Once upon a time, deep in the country, it was a beautiful summer day. The wheat was golden, the oats were green, and down by the water, a Mother Duck was sitting on her nest. She had been sitting there for a very long time. One by one, the eggs began to crack. Peep! Peep! Little yellow heads popped out. "Quack! Quack!" said Mother Duck, and all the ducklings looked at the big green world. But there was one egg left. It was very large and very quiet. An old duck came to visit and looked at the nest. "That is a turkey egg!" she warned. "Leave it alone and go teach the others to swim." Mother Duck looked at the big egg. "No, I’ve sat this long," she said. "I will sit a little longer." Suddenly, the big egg gave a little wobble. Crack! A piece of shell fell off.

Out tumbled the last baby bird. But oh dear! He was not yellow and fuzzy. He was big, gray, and looked very clumsy. "That is a terribly big duckling," said Mother Duck. "He doesn’t look like the others at all." The next morning, the sun shone brightly. Mother Duck took her family down to the moat. Splash! She jumped into the water. "Quack! Quack!" she called, and one duckling after another jumped in. The water went over their heads, but they popped right back up and floated beautifully. Then, it was the big gray one’s turn. He stood at the edge of the muddy bank. The old duck had said he was a turkey, and turkeys cannot swim. Mother Duck held her breath as the gray one jumped.

He swam! In fact, he swam very well, holding his head high. "He is not a turkey," Mother Duck said proudly. "Come along, children! We are going to the barnyard to meet the other animals." But the barnyard was a noisy, scary place. The other ducks stared at the gray brother. "Look how ugly that one is!" a duck hissed, and he bit the gray duckling on the neck. Even the chickens pecked him. A big Turkey puffed himself up like a ship in full sail, turned red, and gobbled loudly right in the poor duckling's face. Day after day, it got worse. Even his own brothers and sisters said, "I wish the cat would catch you, you ugly thing!" The poor duckling looked at the low fence. He was sad and scared.

He made his choice. He closed his eyes and flew over the fence! The little birds in the bushes flew away in fright. "It is because I am so ugly," the duckling thought. He ran until he reached the great marsh where the wild ducks lived. He was tired and lonely. He stayed there for two days, trying to hide under the reeds. Suddenly—Bang! Bang! Hunters were all around the marsh! Gunpowder smoke hung like clouds over the water. Splash! Hunting dogs jumped into the water, paddling through the mud. The poor duckling was terrified. He turned his head to tuck it under his wing, but just then, a terrifyingly huge dog appeared right in front of him! Its tongue hung out and its eyes glared. The dog thrust his big nose right against the duckling.

The dog sniffed... and then splash! He went away without touching him. "Oh, thank goodness," sighed the duckling. "I am so ugly that even the dog doesn't want to bite me." He lay still until the sun went down. Then, he ran as fast as his feet could carry him. A storm began to blow. The wind was so strong the duckling had to sit on his tail just to keep from blowing away! In the dark, he saw a little cottage. It was old and tumbledown, but it offered shelter. The door had lost its bottom hinge, leaving a crack just big enough to squeeze through. Shivering and wet, the duckling slipped inside. But the house wasn't empty. In the corner, glowing eyes were watching him.

An old woman lived there with her Cat and her Hen. The Cat could arch his back and sparkle. The Hen had short little legs and laid good eggs. In the morning, they saw the strange duckling. "Can you lay eggs?" asked the Hen. "No," said the duckling. "Can you arch your back and purr?" asked the Cat. "No," said the duckling. "Then you are useless," they said. The duckling sat in the corner, feeling sad. He remembered the fresh air and the sunshine. He remembered how good it felt to float on the water. "I want to go for a swim," the duckling told the Hen. "You are crazy," clucked the Hen. "Ask the Cat. He is the smartest one I know. Ask him if he likes to swim!" The door stood open. Outside, the autumn wind was blowing leaves.

The duckling knew he didn't belong in the cottage. He waddled out into the autumn world. He swam and dived, but all the animals ignored him because he was so ugly. One evening, as the sun was setting, a flock of beautiful birds came out of the bushes. The duckling had never seen anything so lovely. They were dazzling white with long, graceful necks. They were swans. They let out a strange, loud cry, spread their magnificent wings, and flew higher and higher. The ugly duckling spun around in the water like a wheel, stretching his neck up toward them. He loved them more than he had ever loved anything. But winter was coming. The weather grew colder and colder. The pond began to freeze. The duckling had to paddle his legs all the time to keep the water from freezing over. Suddenly, he was too tired to move. The ice closed in around him, trapping his legs. He was stuck fast in the ice!

Early the next morning, a farmer came by. He saw the poor bird, broke the ice with his wooden shoe, and carried him home. The warmth of the farmhouse brought the duckling back to life. But the farmer's children wanted to play with him, and the duckling was terrified! He thought they wanted to hurt him. In a panic, he fluttered up—splash!—right into the milk pail! Milk splashed everywhere. The farmer’s wife screamed and threw her hands up. Scared by the noise, the duckling flew into the butter tub, and then into the flour barrel! Oh, what a sight he was! The children laughed, the dog barked, and the wife chased him with fire tongs. The door blew open. The duckling scrambled out into the snow. It was bitter cold, and he had nowhere to go.

It would be too sad to tell you all the hardships the poor duckling suffered that long, hard winter. But he did survive. Finally, the sun began to shine warmly again. The larks sang. It was spring! The duckling flapped his wings. They felt stronger than before. He flew until he landed in a great garden with apple trees and lilacs. And there, swimming on the water, were three beautiful white swans. "I will fly to them," he thought. "They might peck me to death because I am so ugly, but I don't care. It is better to be killed by them than to be bitten by ducks or pecked by hens." He swam toward the royal birds. They rushed to meet him with ruffled feathers. "Kill me!" whispered the poor creature, and he bowed his head down to the water, waiting for the end. But as he looked down, he saw his own reflection in the clear blue water.

He did not see a clumsy, dark-gray bird. He saw a swan! He was no longer an ugly duckling. He was a beautiful white swan! The big swans swam around him and stroked him with their beaks to welcome him. Some children came into the garden with bread and cake. The youngest child cried out, "Look! There is a new one!" And the other children shouted, "Yes, a new one has arrived! He is the most beautiful of them all!" The old swans bowed to him. The new swan felt very shy and hid his head under his wing. He was so happy, but not proud, for a good heart is never proud. He rustled his feathers, curved his slender neck, and thought, "I never dreamed of such happiness when I was the ugly duckling." And he lived happily ever after.