Saturday, March 29, 2008

The ugly duckling / Hans Christian Andersen, retold and ill, by Troy Howell


The ugly duckling is the classic folk tale of Hans Christan Andersen as told by Troy Howell. If I recall the original story does not have as much dialog as Troy Howell's version, and some elements may be different than the original, but the basic story is still the same. A young bird is hatched in a duck's nest who looks nothing like his brothers and sisters. The "duckling" goes through a series of trials and tribulations and spends all this time worrying about how ugly he is until he discovers that he is not a big ugly duck, but a handsome, majestic swan.

This classic story of self discovery and transformation will speak to most people young and old and this version is supplemented with beautiful, full page, detailed illustrations. The illustrations appear to be oil paintings with lots of green, yellow and brown tones which evoke the moods of the seasons, the animals and the storyline.

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