Ugly - Hardcover

Donna Jo Napoli teaches linguistics at Swarthmore College and is the author of several novels for middle graders and young adults, includingZel, anAmerican BooksellerPick of the Lists, aPublishers WeeklyBest Book, aBulletinBlue Ribbon Book, and aSchool Library JournalBest Book;The Magic Circle,an ALA Best Book for Young Readers; andThe Prince of the Pond: Otherwise Known as De Fawg Pin.Her most recent books for Hyperion includeUglyandMogo, the Third Warthog.

Grade 2-4–Using a Tasmanian setting for this retelling of Hans Christian Andersens The Ugly Duckling, Napoli has fashioned a witty and entertaining book. The duckling, called Ugly by his Pacific black duck siblings, is late to hatch and behaves strangely, but is sustained by his mother, who believes he is smart. Ejected from the duck colony after a severe pecking because he is different, Ugly sets off to find a friend. Many helpful animals, including a wombat and a golden bristletail possum, provide advice, warmth, and knowledge. They also alert him to dangerous predators such as a quoll, spurred platypus, and Tasmanian devil. Ugly also learns about humans when he encounters a family and an old woman who talks to herself and her pets. Humor lightens the story. Ugly meets teenage ganders that verbally and physically spar like egotistic adolescents, but the story takes a grim turn when the shocked duckling (surprising, too, for readers who may not be familiar with the original tale) witnesses their brutal slaughter by hunters. After a long and lonely year, Ugly discovers his true identity–he is a beautiful Australian black swan–and finds a home. Like Avis Poppy series (HarperCollins), this book is lush with details of the natural world and animal behavior and an elegant use of language. An excellent read-aloud.–Susan Hepler, formerly at Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA
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