Mamma Duck was very excited. The eggs she was sitting on were about to hatch. Soon she would have seven little ducklings. One fine day the eggs hatched. The little babies came out one by one. The forest was filled with the quack quack of seven hungry ducklings. Mamma Duck wiped their feathers and got them all in line. She stood looking at her family proudly.
When she looked at the last one, she said, “Why, you are ugly! The egg you came from must have rolled into my nest by mistake. Go away, you are not my baby.”
The poor little duckling walked away sadly. He walked and he walked till he came to a large farm. On the farm he saw a turkey.
“Are you my mother?” asked the poor little duckling.
“No, I’m not. You are so ugly! Go away.”
The poor duckling walked away. He soon saw a hen with her little chicks.
“Have you lost a baby?” asked the duckling.
“No, my babies are all here,” said the hen.
The sad little duckling walked away. He then met a peacock.
“Am I your baby?” asked the little duckling.
“How can you be my baby? You do not have beautiful feathers like mine,” said the peacock.
He next met a macaw. Its feathers were red, blue, green, and yellow.
“Are you my mother?” asked the sad duckling.
“Don’t be silly!” said the macaw and told him to run along.
As he walked away, he met a cow.
“Are you my mother?” he asked her.
“Do I look like your mother?” laughed the cow.
The poor little duckling was tired and sad. As he walked on, he reached a pool and saw his reflection in the water. “How ugly I am!” he said.
“There you are, my poor lost baby!” said a swan standing nearby. “You are not ugly. You are the most beautiful baby in the world. And when you grow up, you will be a beautiful swan.”
When she looked at the last one, she said, “Why, you are ugly! The egg you came from must have rolled into my nest by mistake. Go away, you are not my baby.”
The poor little duckling walked away sadly. He walked and he walked till he came to a large farm. On the farm he saw a turkey.
“Are you my mother?” asked the poor little duckling.
“No, I’m not. You are so ugly! Go away.”
The poor duckling walked away. He soon saw a hen with her little chicks.
“Have you lost a baby?” asked the duckling.
“No, my babies are all here,” said the hen.
The sad little duckling walked away. He then met a peacock.
“Am I your baby?” asked the little duckling.
“How can you be my baby? You do not have beautiful feathers like mine,” said the peacock.
He next met a macaw. Its feathers were red, blue, green, and yellow.
“Are you my mother?” asked the sad duckling.
“Don’t be silly!” said the macaw and told him to run along.
As he walked away, he met a cow.
“Are you my mother?” he asked her.
“Do I look like your mother?” laughed the cow.
The poor little duckling was tired and sad. As he walked on, he reached a pool and saw his reflection in the water. “How ugly I am!” he said.
“There you are, my poor lost baby!” said a swan standing nearby. “You are not ugly. You are the most beautiful baby in the world. And when you grow up, you will be a beautiful swan.”
