On this Seventh Day of Christmas, best wishes for 2013: When I think of swans, I immediately recall Hans Christian Andersen's short story of The Ugly Duckling. Look for this adaptation, with old fashioned, warm watercolors by author/illustrator Jerry Pinkney (ages 4-8). William Kilpatrick (Books That Build Character: A Guide to Teaching Your Child Moral Values Through Stories) says, "...to admit that it takes time for a child to grow into his or her true identity is far from cruel. All children instinctively know that, before true maturity can be achieved, they must undergo some kind of rite of passage. That is why most fairy tales deal with the theme of transformation and suffering...the ugly duckling must endure loneliness and rejection before he can grow up to be a beautiful white swan. That is why the great child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim has called fairy tales 'wishes in disguise'."
Disney also has a sweet adaptation of the tale, as a Little Golden Book and an animated film...
7 SWANS IN A PARK?
Hans Christian Andersen statue in Central Park with ONE soon-to-be-swan - source |
SIX MORE:
Swan Boats in Boston Public Garden (Have you read Make Way for Ducklings?) |
I think Swans are beautiful! Happy New Year!
Can you believe that in the 45 years I have lived outside Boston, I have never even seen them! Sad. This year we must go!
ReplyDeleteOh, you must! Besides the swan boats, little bronze statues of all the ducklings from Make Way for Ducklings are there!
Deletehttp://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/make-way-for-ducklings.html#axzz2GlsLpNy9
I LOVE that statue!
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in New Jersey, there was a waterfowl refuge just off Brigantine Island. It had a one-way road going through it, so that people could drive slowly through the marsh and see the birds. During migrations, it had thousands of birds, including hundreds of swans! It is an astounding thing to see a huge flock of swans in the wild!
I love visiting bird refuges! I've never seen a whole flock of swans in the wild...but we did see a few black swans once. Santa Barbara has a nice bird refuge. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. :)
DeleteI love "Make Way for Ducklings" AND the swan boats in Boston! I think I liked the boats more than my kids did!
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