It is a classic tale about a little bird that can't quite work out where it belongs.

Preview audio:

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It is summer. Mother duck has got six eggs. Five eggs break and five yellow ducklings come out. But the sixth egg doesn’t break. "Oh dear! This egg is very big," says mother duck. Later, the sixth egg breaks. A big grey duckling comes out. "Oh no! This duckling is ugly!" shouts mother duck. "Come on, ducklings. Let’s go and visit the hen," says mother duck. She looks at the ugly duckling and she says, "Walk behind your brothers and sisters. I don’t want anybody to see you. You’re ugly!" The ugly duckling is sad. The hen sees the ducklings. She sees the ugly duckling too. The hen laughs. "Look! That duckling is silly!" says the hen. "He has got short legs. He’s grey. His beak is silly. He’s an ugly duckling!"Everybody laughs. The ugly duckling is very sad.

The next day, the ugly duckling leaves. He is crying because nobody likes him. He walks and walks. He sees some insects. "Hello!" he says. But the insects don’t talk to the ugly duckling. Later, he sees some birds. "You’re funny! We like you," they say. There is a loud noise. "It’s a big dog!" the birds shout. They fly away. The ugly duckling is afraid. He hides in the grass. The big dog runs into the grass. It sees the ugly duckling. It smells the ugly duckling, but it goes away.
"The dog doesn’t like me because I’m ugly," says the ugly duckling. The ugly duckling walks and walks. He sees a house. An old woman lives in the house. She is cooking. The ugly duckling can smell the food. "Mmm. That food smellsgood! I’m hungry," he says. The old woman looks at the ugly duckling. "You’re a funny duckling," she says. "Are you hungry? Eat this food." The ugly duckling eats the food. Now he feels happy.