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The Ugly Duckling is a children's picture book written by Hans Christian Andersen and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Published in 1999, Jerry Pinkney brought illustrations to Hans Christian Andersen's original fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling. The original version of The Ugly Duckling was published in November of 1843, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The book is about a duckling struggling with his identity and facing a series of adventures. Pinkney received the Caldecott Honor in 2000 for his illustrations. This Caldecott Honor is one of five Caldecott Honors Pinkney received, along with one Caldecott Medal.

Description
The Ugly Duckling, told in the third person narrative, is a story about acceptance, struggle, and survival. The duckling is forced to face many different situations where the duckling is shown that he is unfit for society according to the judgments of those around him. The cruelty he encounters forces him to try to constantly find somewhere that he will be accepted or somewhere he can survive. Jerry Pinkney's 1999 version of The Ugly Duckling brings life to the story through watercolor illustrations on every page. Each illustration presents an image or scene relating to the text on the page.

Plot
The story begins on a summer day in the country. A mother duckling hatches her eggs, welcoming her little ducklings into the world. It is quickly noticed that one duckling is different from the others in its size and by its looks- this duckling is noticeably larger and uglier than the others. Once the duckling realizes how different he is and how different he is being treated, he leaves the other ducklings, and ventures off on his own. The duckling finds that he is either too ugly or too young to fit in with everyone he encounters. He wonders and wonders, miserably fighting through the cold winter on his own, until spring arrives and he throws himself at a flock of swans, in hopes to be killed. To his surprise, they accept him, and he realizes that over time he has matured and grown into one of them- a beautiful swan.

Critical Reception
The Ugly Duckling received many reviews in response to the watercolors that Jerry Pinkney brings to pages. Kirkus Review describes the illustrations as outstanding, making the "retelling of a familiar tale memorable." Kirkus Review also describes it as an artistic adaptation to the original story, and spirited. Publishers Weekly reviewed The Ugly Duckling as having supple, yet "exquisitely detailed watercolors providing a handsome foil to his graceful adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen classic." Publishers Weekly also describes Pinkney's illustrations as "a flawlessly nuanced performance by a consummate craftsman," after comparing his illustrations to different forms of artistic beauty. School Library Journal describes Pinkney's illustrations as being successful at capturing what Andersen intends. School Library Journal also claims that "Pinkney does not shy away from including the more disturbing elements, such as the shooting of the geese, recognizing this episode's importance to the fabric of the story." The Ugly Duckling was also a winner of the 2000 Caldecott Honor.