Sarah Delmege

I liked this book because of the illustrations and how it was written. In this Ugly Duckling book, the illustrations did a really good job representing what was going on in the story. For example, on page 8 and 9, the ugly duckling was upset saying “nobody wants me”. In the illustration, his head is looking down, his eyebrows are in a position to make him look sad, and he is isolated from the rest of the ducklings that are in a group by the mother. This helped me as the reader realize how hurt the duckling is because of how judged he had been from his looks. On top of the illustrations, I liked how it is written because it sounds like the story was being told and was paced well. I felt like the story was being told, not read, because the setting was being described, there was dialogue between the characters in the story, and it is written in a way that the narrator is informing the reader of what is going on in the story, as if the narrator was actually there. The story had a clear beginning, when the ducklings were born. Throughout the story, there was a sequence of events as he spoke to other animals and then met a swan, which led to the ending of him realizing he is a swan. This ending tied in the main message as it showed he is not an ugly duckling, but was special compared to his brothers and sisters, just like his mother said.
The main message of this story is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Because the “duckling” looked different than all the other ducklings that animals had seen, they referred to him as ugly. He was often made fun of and felt isolated because of his appearance. When he came to the realization that he was a swan, it showed that he was unique, as he was different from all of his siblings. This shows that things are not always as they seem and that you should never judge someone based on how they look.… (mere)

I had mixed feelings about the book The Ugly Duckling illustrated by Polona Lovsin. I did not like it because of the plot. When the last duck hatched, it was seen as “the ugly duckling” because it was “wasn’t little or yellow.” This plot can give children the wrong idea. The duck was being made fun of for being different but children are supposed to learn that it is okay to be different. However, I did like this book because of the illustrations. The illustrations of the book really enhance the story and really shows the reader how great the ending of the story was. When the ugly duckling turned into the swan, the illustrations really show how big and beautiful the swan was. The main idea of this story is that it is an entertaining story about one finding their own identity.… (mere)

I have always loved this story. What appealed to me most about this book was the cover; the artwork was so colorful and the baby swan had so much emotion, I had to read this book. This little book takes one of the most classic fairytales and turns it into a fun read for kids and parents. The interactive tabs within the book bring out a child’s curiosity about life in a different than I have seen in any other children’s books. The language makes this book easy to read and fun for children to take control of.… (mere)

This book, retold by Sarah Delmege is a common tale. This books main message or moral focuses around the idea that one should not judge a book by its cover (or in this case, by the color of its feathers.) I love nursery rhymes and bedtime stories that have been retold and adjust throughout the years, and this is just another example.
Some things I liked about this book is the language used in it. More specifically the type of fonts Delmege chose to use throughout the book. When she was trying to express conversation or important parts of the book such as sounds in the background, she increased the size of the fonts in the book. This draws the reader to the book and allows the book to be read aloud with certain parts having more emphasis than others.
Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the illustrations and colorful images included. The illustrator, Polona Lovsin did an excellent job of portraying emotions of the little duckling through different colors, backgrounds, and changing environments. All of the pages are well illustrated and contain bright, warm colors to draw the readers in.
One thing I do not particularly enjoy about this book (or about this tale in general) was that most of the other animals the duck encounters makes him feel as though he does not belong until he is physically attractive, which I believe may not be the best trait to reiterate to a child.… (mere)