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Maynard Moose Tales
The Uglified Ducky
You may think you know the story of the Ugly Duckling, but think again. In the capable hands of his alter ego Maynard Moose, storyteller Willy Claflin takes us on a wacky journey where this Uglified Ducky, a hapless young moose, "blunders away" from his home, is mistaken for a baby duck, and endured endless humiliation as he tries to learn to waddle, quack, swim, and fly. Eventually he finds his true "fambly," who help him discover his own beauty.
In his fractured English, translated in the glossary at front, Maynard relays a surprisingly tender story that echoes the original tale's theme of the struggle to belong. The Uglified Ducky's quest is playfully but sympathetically interpreted in James Stimson's luminous, droll gouache illustrations.
In his fractured English, translated in the glossary at front, Maynard relays a surprisingly tender story that echoes the original tale's theme of the struggle to belong. The Uglified Ducky's quest is playfully but sympathetically interpreted in James Stimson's luminous, droll gouache illustrations.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 25, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
February 25, 2009
Meet Maynard Moose, a moose who finds himself in a family of ducks! Maynard wandered away from his "moosely nest" and falls asleep near a duck nest. Mommy Ducky is alarmed when she sees how horribly ugly the baby moose is and hopes that her other eggs will come out better. Mommy Ducky tries to raise Maynard the best she can. She tries to teach him to quack, but he can only Gronk, Arooo! She tries to teach him to swim, but his hooves don't paddle well in water. When she takes him to Dr. Quack, he worries about the lumps forming on Maynard's head and bandages him up. When the Ducky family practices flying, Maynard is left behind and wanders sadly into the forest. There he finds a lake with large moose and his own special place in life.
Claflin has taken his storytelling style and transposed it whole-heartedly to the page. It is impossible to read this book aloud and not do voices. Each character is written with interesting sounds, unique speech patterns, and great noises are worked into the text too. Stimson's illustrations are modern and very funny as well, matching the tone and style of the story.
Highly recommended for reading aloud, this book will make a storyteller of you. I would also recommend it for anyone who has a storytelling class where you have to read a book aloud. This one is perfection for it. Children and adults will enjoy the tale and its style. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
Claflin has taken his storytelling style and transposed it whole-heartedly to the page. It is impossible to read this book aloud and not do voices. Each character is written with interesting sounds, unique speech patterns, and great noises are worked into the text too. Stimson's illustrations are modern and very funny as well, matching the tone and style of the story.
Highly recommended for reading aloud, this book will make a storyteller of you. I would also recommend it for anyone who has a storytelling class where you have to read a book aloud. This one is perfection for it. Children and adults will enjoy the tale and its style. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
November 5, 2010
If you want to read a book with tears running down your face, while having to pause every few pages to catch your breath from laughing, then this is the book for you. You may think you know the story of the Ugly Duckling, but think again. Maynard Moose tells the tale of the Uglified Ducky, this happens to be a Baby Moose who wandered away and is raised by duckies. The moose, d’abandoned (abandoned), by his fambly (family), blunders into a ducks nest thinking it a snuggly place to sleep. The mother duck considers him a distremely (extremely) uglified ducky and set about to teach him proper duck behavior. The hilarious story unfolds as the moose is unable to perform everyday duck activities such as swimming and flying. What makes this book even more enjoyable is the Glossary of Moose Words in the front and the CD included in the back. Author Willy Clafin is a gifted story teller and the book is 100 times better when he reads it with his voices and moosly pronunciations.
FYI: Bledsoe 4th graders were privileged to hear Willy Clafin at the Frisco Storytelling Festival, he was very entertaining to hear in person. It only made me enjoy his book more to know that the Maynard Moose stories are based upon those he made up for his young son.
FYI: Bledsoe 4th graders were privileged to hear Willy Clafin at the Frisco Storytelling Festival, he was very entertaining to hear in person. It only made me enjoy his book more to know that the Maynard Moose stories are based upon those he made up for his young son.
February 22, 2017
I don't often review children's books, but this book is seriously a special case. You HAVE to get it on a cd- my 5 year old students must have listened to it ten times while I had it in the classroom. This is now my new favorite children's book because the reading is so hilarious, and I would recommend to anyone of any age.
June 8, 2010
I've never been a fan of books that purposely have characters mispronounce words. I don't find it charming, I find it confusing to a young reader. Why reinforce bad habits? This is just one complaint about The Uglified Ducky that I have (although there is a glossary at the beginning of the book lisitng "moose words"). Supposedly an adoptation of Hans Christian Anderson's The Ugly Duckling, I found this "version" sophomoric, silly and simply a waste of paper. Thankfully I bought this one using a gift card and did not waste my own hard-earned money on it.
May 21, 2010
This is a quirky and amusing reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairytale, with a moose as the seemingly rejected protagonist. The "Moose-speak" vernacular of Maine adds to the story delightfully, giving it an endearing dimension. A reminder for all of us that we are fine, just the way we are! :)
January 8, 2010
The "moose talk" can make it a little hard to understand ... but I loved it anyway. The story of a moose who thinks he's a duck (and TRIES to be a duck) speaks volumes to figuring out who you are and accepting it.
Plus the illustrations are just adorable.
Plus the illustrations are just adorable.
October 2, 2010
The Uglified Ducky is a funny and cute book. I did not like how mean the ducklings were to the moose baby. It was hard to read because so many words were spelled wrong. I would recommend this book to Ms. Yegge. My sister likes ducks so I would recommend it to her.
May 14, 2011
Super cute book! Very Funny!
February 23, 2020
The Uglified Ducky is a story about a baby moose who is mistaken for a duck’s spawn. As the other ducky’s hatch, the mother sees that the moose doesn’t look like the others and calls it an uglified ducky. As the mother starts training her younglings to quack, and walk, and swim, the moose fails miserably causing him to feel lowly because the mother seems disappointed and angry. One day, the mother duck teaches her younglings to fly and the baby moose is left behind. Feeling abandoned and extremely sad, the baby moose retreats to the woods and stumbles upon other moose who finally tell him that he is really a moose and not a duck. The moose finally feels worthy and accepted being back with a group of animals just like him.
The major theme of this book is worthiness. While some people may not be as good at other things, there are other things that people might be really good. It’s just about finding those things that they’re good at. You can’t let lack of ability in one area to cause you to feel less worthy. Everyone is beautiful in a different way and can offer something different, but equally as valuable.
I was not a huge fan of this book especially since the mother treated her one ugly offspring so poorly. Not only did she call him ugly, but told him several times that he wasn’t doing what she wanted to correctly. It was heartbreaking to see a mother treat, what she thinks is, her child so poorly. I do love the message given at the end about being beautiful in different ways.
I do not think I would recommend this book to a child simply because of how the moose is treated so poorly throughout the book. I wouldn’t want any child to even have the thought that their parents might not like them that much or feel unworthy. I think the message at the end is super important for the kids to know just not at the price for hearing all the other negative things I saw in this book.
The major theme of this book is worthiness. While some people may not be as good at other things, there are other things that people might be really good. It’s just about finding those things that they’re good at. You can’t let lack of ability in one area to cause you to feel less worthy. Everyone is beautiful in a different way and can offer something different, but equally as valuable.
I was not a huge fan of this book especially since the mother treated her one ugly offspring so poorly. Not only did she call him ugly, but told him several times that he wasn’t doing what she wanted to correctly. It was heartbreaking to see a mother treat, what she thinks is, her child so poorly. I do love the message given at the end about being beautiful in different ways.
I do not think I would recommend this book to a child simply because of how the moose is treated so poorly throughout the book. I wouldn’t want any child to even have the thought that their parents might not like them that much or feel unworthy. I think the message at the end is super important for the kids to know just not at the price for hearing all the other negative things I saw in this book.
March 5, 2018
The Uglified Ducky tells a story of a Moose by the name of Maynard who finds himself taking a nap near a duck nest and then he becomes mistaken for the mother ducky's hatchlings. As the ducklings grow older the mother teaches the ducks how to swim, fly, and waddle however, Maynard struggles with these tasks. As a result, Maynard is left behind by his duck family as they go away for the winter. Fortunately, Maynard meets a moose in the forest who shows him his true identity. This book has several themes throughout that could be used for discussions including; belonging, fitting in, bullying, and discovering your true self. I've never read a children's book that had scrambled words and grammar so that was very interesting to me. I recommend this book for children ages 5 to 8. I think this book could be used inside a classroom to explore the scrambled vocabulary and to look for words or sentences that are misspelled or out of order. I also think this book could be used to show children that you have to be true to yourself and your identity.
September 22, 2020
The Uglified Ducky is quirky right from its title. From the beginning of the story I was laughing, yet wondering simultaneously. It was written as if the author failed to edit for grammar. But, after a few sentences, I realized that author Willy Claflin has an absolutely wacky sense of humor.
As an author who incorporates humor in my children's books, I appreciated that humor and a message were the main aims of the story. This tale puts a quirky spin on the story, I knew as a child as, "The Ugly Duckling".
If you're seeking a children's book that demonstrates perfect grammar, this isn't it. If what you want is a tale that'll keep you chuckling from the first page to the last, has a message about self-image, and celebrates the beauty in differences, this is it!
As an author who incorporates humor in my children's books, I appreciated that humor and a message were the main aims of the story. This tale puts a quirky spin on the story, I knew as a child as, "The Ugly Duckling".
If you're seeking a children's book that demonstrates perfect grammar, this isn't it. If what you want is a tale that'll keep you chuckling from the first page to the last, has a message about self-image, and celebrates the beauty in differences, this is it!
January 3, 2021
3.5 stars. This is a twist of the tale of The Ugly Duckling. My g'littles read this to me today. It tells about Maynard Moose who is mistaken for a little duckling. The story uses made-up words and twisted grammar to tell the story from the little Moose's point of view. My g'littles thought this was very funny to have the moose and ducklings speak in this twisted manner. It was little disconcerting for me to have to read this twisted language - but it was definitely cute, and sometimes funny. He is mistreated as an "uglified" duckie. The tale shares a moral that everyone has something unique and special about them. I enjoyed hearing my g'littles read and enjoy the tale.
November 13, 2018
Willy Claflin is, in my opinion, one of the greatest children's storytellers of all time. The book is fabulously entertaining, has superb illustrations, and delivers constant comedy throughout. Highly recommended.
My copy came with a CD recording of Willy doing the storytelling. If you have the chance to listen to his telling of the story, don't miss out. He's hilarious and you won't be disappointed.
My copy came with a CD recording of Willy doing the storytelling. If you have the chance to listen to his telling of the story, don't miss out. He's hilarious and you won't be disappointed.
June 17, 2024
Absolutely brilliant fun! I LOVED all the mispronounced/misspelled words and how they were wound into the story. The characters are all fun. The narrator is perfection. And the concept is eternally relevant! You never know who you are until you do!!!
Highly recommend for ALL ages.
And this gets my, Huggable Book Award.
Highly recommend for ALL ages.
And this gets my, Huggable Book Award.
August 24, 2018
I was laughing throughout this book. It takes the Ugly Duckling story and provides a beautiful conclusion, with humor on every page. The mother duck is a riot. A wonderful message for children and an entertaining take on the Ugly Duckling - who is instead a Moose.
August 24, 2025
The changing of the grammar didn’t even make sense. If you’re intentionally making it bad English, at least make it realistic by studying up on how words would sound if someone wasn’t pronouncing them right.
October 19, 2017
Lots of text; this book is for upper elementary or a family storytime.
April 4, 2018
The girls really enjoyed this one too.
May 29, 2020
Great book
This book was funny and kids loved it. I enjoyed reading this book just as much as they have read it to me. Great family read
This book was funny and kids loved it. I enjoyed reading this book just as much as they have read it to me. Great family read
February 1, 2024
This was kind of funny. A moose somehow winds up with a nest of duck eggs, and the duck mother thinks he is an "uglified ducky." Fun pictures, funny story.
October 18, 2016
Author Willy Claflin and illustrator James Stimson have come together to craft a whimsical story about discovering your true self through the point of view of a character known as Maynard Mouse. When Maynard Mouse is a baby, he stumbles upon a ducky nest and is mistaken for a baby duckling. After the other ducklings hatch from their nests, the mother tries to teach her babies, including the “Uglified Ducky," how to waddle, swim, and even quack. However, Maynard cannot do the same things as all the other ducklings and is eventually left behind after the his “fambly" of ducks fly away for the winter. That is when Maynard meets a “beautiful beasties” (another mouse) in the forest that shows him his true identity.
The opening scene of the book begins with Maynard Mouse telling a his story around the campfire. He begins with the line “Do you ever feel like maybe you have been borned into the wrong fambly? Like maybe you feel like you are a little porcupine being raised by a fambly of kangaroos..” I feel like everyone can relate this to their own lives at some level, especially children. Some people may they feel like they’re different than the rest their’re family, or maybe that they don’t really feel like they belong in school. Whatever the case may be, this story allows its reader follow Maynard on a journey of finding his own inner beauty and discover the true meaning of being yourself.
Since the story is from the point of view of Maynard Mouse, a lot of the vocabulary throughout the text is misspelled. Luckily, Claflin includes a page strictly devoted to vocabulary because, “This book contains moose grammar, spelling, and usage, all of which have been known to scramble up the human brain!” I think an exciting way you could incorporate this text inside a classroom would be through exploring this scrambled vocabulary. Have students listen and look for words or sentences that may be misspelled, mispronounced, or fragmented incorrectly while asking questions like, “What is the authors purpose?” You could also have students explore the authors use of expressive reading and have the students model their own types of expressive reading.
The read aloud version of this book (CD included with purchase) is extremely expressive and told by none other than Willy Claflin. The Boston Phoenix quotes, “ Claflin's performances reflect an astute ear for the incongruous and a blithe love of the absurd.” This is what gives this book it’s WOW factor. Claflin is able to captivate his readers into the bittersweet tale of Maynard Moose through his witty script and corky narration.
In the wise words of Maynard Moose, “So if you ever feel like maybe you are a giraffe being raised by a fambly of gerbils, or a ladybug being raised by a fambly of elephants, remember - that does not mean you are uglified.”
The opening scene of the book begins with Maynard Mouse telling a his story around the campfire. He begins with the line “Do you ever feel like maybe you have been borned into the wrong fambly? Like maybe you feel like you are a little porcupine being raised by a fambly of kangaroos..” I feel like everyone can relate this to their own lives at some level, especially children. Some people may they feel like they’re different than the rest their’re family, or maybe that they don’t really feel like they belong in school. Whatever the case may be, this story allows its reader follow Maynard on a journey of finding his own inner beauty and discover the true meaning of being yourself.
Since the story is from the point of view of Maynard Mouse, a lot of the vocabulary throughout the text is misspelled. Luckily, Claflin includes a page strictly devoted to vocabulary because, “This book contains moose grammar, spelling, and usage, all of which have been known to scramble up the human brain!” I think an exciting way you could incorporate this text inside a classroom would be through exploring this scrambled vocabulary. Have students listen and look for words or sentences that may be misspelled, mispronounced, or fragmented incorrectly while asking questions like, “What is the authors purpose?” You could also have students explore the authors use of expressive reading and have the students model their own types of expressive reading.
The read aloud version of this book (CD included with purchase) is extremely expressive and told by none other than Willy Claflin. The Boston Phoenix quotes, “ Claflin's performances reflect an astute ear for the incongruous and a blithe love of the absurd.” This is what gives this book it’s WOW factor. Claflin is able to captivate his readers into the bittersweet tale of Maynard Moose through his witty script and corky narration.
In the wise words of Maynard Moose, “So if you ever feel like maybe you are a giraffe being raised by a fambly of gerbils, or a ladybug being raised by a fambly of elephants, remember - that does not mean you are uglified.”
February 27, 2017
Silly book to share with kids.
September 21, 2009
MAGNIFICENT! I cannot wait to read other books by this author. It is a wonderful read-aloud book for children. Has to be read to be understood.. my review will sound a bit odd, I suppose.
So, this "Mother Moose Tale" as told by Maynard the Moose (really. it says so) it written in Moosified dialect. It is about a wee little Moose baby who wanders away from his "baby moosely nest" and takes a nap in a ducky's nest, and becomes mistaken for one of the mother duky's hatchlings. Hilarity ensues. This is BEAUTIFULLY and hilriously written, even more fun when read aloud, and the wonderful illustrations only add to the joy of this book. There's the cute moral at the end, but as someone who always enjoyed the concept of the Ugly Duckling fairy tale, but who didn't love the story itself, this book was a lovely surprise.
My children got this at the library, and enjoyed it so much that we read it twice daily for the two weeks it was at our house. They laughed uproarously every time they saw the baby moose try to swim and fly like his ducky "siblings," and the phrases "Oh no, I've been 'debandoned'" and "Oh. I. Hate. This." have entered our family vocabulary. Meanwhile, when the doctor ducky wraps the baby moose's head to prevent a bad case of antlers, which, he says, you do not want, because they will "tippy the ducky over.." -- well, let's just say my kids nearly fall off the couch with joy at that part. Every time.
This book is greatly enhanced if you read the mama's voice as extremely "countrified", and the doctor's as a weird foreign combination. I think mine, forgive me for non-political-correctness, was a bizarre Indian/French variation for the doctor, which my children thought genius, but then, the whole book is genius, so enhancing the text with vocal absurdity is just a bonus.
Get this book for your children. They will adore it.
I can't wait to buy others in the series.
So, this "Mother Moose Tale" as told by Maynard the Moose (really. it says so) it written in Moosified dialect. It is about a wee little Moose baby who wanders away from his "baby moosely nest" and takes a nap in a ducky's nest, and becomes mistaken for one of the mother duky's hatchlings. Hilarity ensues. This is BEAUTIFULLY and hilriously written, even more fun when read aloud, and the wonderful illustrations only add to the joy of this book. There's the cute moral at the end, but as someone who always enjoyed the concept of the Ugly Duckling fairy tale, but who didn't love the story itself, this book was a lovely surprise.
My children got this at the library, and enjoyed it so much that we read it twice daily for the two weeks it was at our house. They laughed uproarously every time they saw the baby moose try to swim and fly like his ducky "siblings," and the phrases "Oh no, I've been 'debandoned'" and "Oh. I. Hate. This." have entered our family vocabulary. Meanwhile, when the doctor ducky wraps the baby moose's head to prevent a bad case of antlers, which, he says, you do not want, because they will "tippy the ducky over.." -- well, let's just say my kids nearly fall off the couch with joy at that part. Every time.
This book is greatly enhanced if you read the mama's voice as extremely "countrified", and the doctor's as a weird foreign combination. I think mine, forgive me for non-political-correctness, was a bizarre Indian/French variation for the doctor, which my children thought genius, but then, the whole book is genius, so enhancing the text with vocal absurdity is just a bonus.
Get this book for your children. They will adore it.
I can't wait to buy others in the series.
September 21, 2009
MAGNIFICENT! I cannot wait to read other books by this author. It is a wonderful read-aloud book for children. Has to be read to be understood.. my review will sound a bit odd, I suppose.
So, this "Mother Moose Tale" as told by Maynard the Moose (really. it says so) it written in Moosified dialect. It is about a wee little Moose baby who wanders away from his "baby moosely nest" and takes a nap in a ducky's nest, and becomes mistaken for one of the mother duky's hatchlings. Hilarity ensues. This is BEAUTIFULLY and hilriously written, even more fun when read aloud, and the wonderful illustrations only add to the joy of this book. There's the cute moral at the end, but as someone who always enjoyed the concept of the Ugly Duckling fairy tale, but who didn't love the story itself, this book was a lovely surprise.
My children got this at the library, and enjoyed it so much that we read it twice daily for the two weeks it was at our house. They laughed uproarously every time they saw the baby moose try to swim and fly like his ducky "siblings," and the phrases "Oh no, I've been 'debandoned'" and "Oh. I. Hate. This." have entered our family vocabulary. Meanwhile, when the doctor ducky wraps the baby moose's head to prevent a bad case of antlers, which, he says, you do not want, because they will "tippy the ducky over.." -- well, let's just say my kids nearly fall off the couch with joy at that part. Every time.
This book is greatly enhanced if you read the mama's voice as extremely "countrified", and the doctor's as a weird foreign combination. I think mine, forgive me for non-political-correctness, was a bizarre Indian/French variation for the doctor, which my children thought genius, but then, the whole book is genius, so enhancing the text with vocal absurdity is just a bonus.
Get this book for your children. They will adore it.
I can't wait to buy others in the series.
So, this "Mother Moose Tale" as told by Maynard the Moose (really. it says so) it written in Moosified dialect. It is about a wee little Moose baby who wanders away from his "baby moosely nest" and takes a nap in a ducky's nest, and becomes mistaken for one of the mother duky's hatchlings. Hilarity ensues. This is BEAUTIFULLY and hilriously written, even more fun when read aloud, and the wonderful illustrations only add to the joy of this book. There's the cute moral at the end, but as someone who always enjoyed the concept of the Ugly Duckling fairy tale, but who didn't love the story itself, this book was a lovely surprise.
My children got this at the library, and enjoyed it so much that we read it twice daily for the two weeks it was at our house. They laughed uproarously every time they saw the baby moose try to swim and fly like his ducky "siblings," and the phrases "Oh no, I've been 'debandoned'" and "Oh. I. Hate. This." have entered our family vocabulary. Meanwhile, when the doctor ducky wraps the baby moose's head to prevent a bad case of antlers, which, he says, you do not want, because they will "tippy the ducky over.." -- well, let's just say my kids nearly fall off the couch with joy at that part. Every time.
This book is greatly enhanced if you read the mama's voice as extremely "countrified", and the doctor's as a weird foreign combination. I think mine, forgive me for non-political-correctness, was a bizarre Indian/French variation for the doctor, which my children thought genius, but then, the whole book is genius, so enhancing the text with vocal absurdity is just a bonus.
Get this book for your children. They will adore it.
I can't wait to buy others in the series.
February 17, 2017
Eh. I really dislike books that use weird grammar and misspelling to indicate that an animal is speaking. It seems to me that if the animal can speak, it can use real words. It feels as if the author is trying to be too cutesy. I also felt that the Moose should have been loved and accepted for who he was instead of being shoved into the duck mold that clearly didn't fit. I guess I am not supposed to read this book as an adult. :)
September 12, 2013
Summary:"The Uglified Ducky" is about a moose who drifts away from his family. He goes to sleep by a nest of duck eggs and when he wakes up, he thinks he is an ugly duck. He tries to do the same things as a duck would do, but it never works. Eventually, the ducks fly away and leave him all alone. He walks into the woods and finds several moose wading in the water. He finally sees that he is not an uglified duck, but a beautiful moose!
Curriculum Connection:Habitats, misconceptions, character development
Reaction:I love that this story is silly and is told from the perspective of the uglified ducky. The meaning for him telling the story was so anyone who ever seemed out of place would know they were not ugly, but were beautiful and would one day find out where they were meant to be. I love how when you read the words you imagine a goofy moose saying them in your head (fambly for family and demember for remember). Great story!
Audience:PreK-3, but adults would enjoy reading it as well =)
Visual Appeal:Vivid colors and is great at showing the emotions of the characters.
Curriculum Connection:Habitats, misconceptions, character development
Reaction:I love that this story is silly and is told from the perspective of the uglified ducky. The meaning for him telling the story was so anyone who ever seemed out of place would know they were not ugly, but were beautiful and would one day find out where they were meant to be. I love how when you read the words you imagine a goofy moose saying them in your head (fambly for family and demember for remember). Great story!
Audience:PreK-3, but adults would enjoy reading it as well =)
Visual Appeal:Vivid colors and is great at showing the emotions of the characters.
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October 7, 2013Picture Book Log: Tumblebook #2
Review Source: LOV
This story is a twist on the original story about an ugly duckling, except this time the duckling is not a duckling at all but a moose! This story is full of giggles and will be sure to put a smile on every students face.
I thought that this book was really funny. The way that it tried to make a moose into a duck was very original! I really enjoyed all of the animations that went along with the story, these animated books really got my attention. One of the features that I liked most about this story was that when it had a word that was a little difficult, it would stop the story and tell the students what the definition of the word was. This is very helpful! It can teach the students about context clues and can test their vocabulary knowledge. Context clues are a big thing that everyone needs to know how to use, there are many times when reading you come across an unfamiliar word. Using the pause button this story would be a great lesson on how, where, and when to use context clues.
Review Source: LOV
This story is a twist on the original story about an ugly duckling, except this time the duckling is not a duckling at all but a moose! This story is full of giggles and will be sure to put a smile on every students face.
I thought that this book was really funny. The way that it tried to make a moose into a duck was very original! I really enjoyed all of the animations that went along with the story, these animated books really got my attention. One of the features that I liked most about this story was that when it had a word that was a little difficult, it would stop the story and tell the students what the definition of the word was. This is very helpful! It can teach the students about context clues and can test their vocabulary knowledge. Context clues are a big thing that everyone needs to know how to use, there are many times when reading you come across an unfamiliar word. Using the pause button this story would be a great lesson on how, where, and when to use context clues.
July 16, 2017
As another take on the well-known story, "The Ugly Duckling," this story is centered on a baby moose who falls asleep among a nest of five baby duck eggs. To her surprise, the mother duck returns to the nest to find “one uglified ducky” among her five normal baby ducks. As the mother duck begins to teach her new ducklings how to waddle, swim and fly, the Uglified Ducky struggles to fall in line. After a visit to Dr. Quack, it becomes evident that the Uglified Ducky is certainly not a normal duck. Will the Uglified Ducky ever feel like he fits in?
Similar to "The Ugly Duckling," the main themes I gathered from this story were acceptance, individuality, and perseverance.
Being that "The Uglified Ducky" is derived from the original story, "The Ugly Duckling," it would be a great opportunity to practice the skill of analyzing the elements from both stories to identify components that are similar and those that are different. In another more creative activity, the students could create their own version of "The Ugly Duckling" using different animals and perspectives.
Similar to "The Ugly Duckling," the main themes I gathered from this story were acceptance, individuality, and perseverance.
Being that "The Uglified Ducky" is derived from the original story, "The Ugly Duckling," it would be a great opportunity to practice the skill of analyzing the elements from both stories to identify components that are similar and those that are different. In another more creative activity, the students could create their own version of "The Ugly Duckling" using different animals and perspectives.
April 26, 2013
This is an entertaining story that offers an interesting twist on the classic story of The Ugly Duckling.
We listened to the story narrated on CD by the author, Willy Claflin, and I have to admit that I was glad that I didn't have to actually say all of the mispronounciations and poor grammar - they were charming as we listened to the kermit-the-frog-like moose voice of Maynard Moose, but would've irritated me to no end had I read them aloud.
Overall the story is quite humorous. We thought the illustrations were wonderful and very expressive. We enjoyed 'listening' to Maynard Moose read this book to us.
We listened to the story narrated on CD by the author, Willy Claflin, and I have to admit that I was glad that I didn't have to actually say all of the mispronounciations and poor grammar - they were charming as we listened to the kermit-the-frog-like moose voice of Maynard Moose, but would've irritated me to no end had I read them aloud.
Overall the story is quite humorous. We thought the illustrations were wonderful and very expressive. We enjoyed 'listening' to Maynard Moose read this book to us.
November 18, 2014
The Uglified Ducky is a spinoff from the other children's book "The Ugly Duckling." This story is about a baby moose who happens to fall asleep in a nest with five other baby duck eggs. Surprisingly, the mother duck comes back to find the one "uglified" duck among her five normal ducks. The uglified ducky has a hard time learning and falling in line as his mother duck tries to teach her ducklings how to swim, fly and waddle. After a trip to Dr. Quack, the mother duckling is right that the Uglified ducky is not like her other normal ducks. Will the Uglified ducky ever fit in? Major themes include: individuality and acceptance. I think a teacher should compare this book and "The Ugly Duckling." It would be great to find differences and similarities between these two books. Students can even write their own versions from different perspectives and even different animals.
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