The Duckling Who Became a Gray Swan

Once upon a time, there was a little child with gray feathers. All the ducks around him had white feathers. “Why are you gray?” they asked, and the gray child became sad. The gray child thought, “I wish I could be white like everyone else...”

💬 Feathers Different from Everyone Else

🤔 How do you think the gray child feels? If you were going to say, “It’s okay,” what would you like to say to him?

One day, the gray child met some swans at the pond. The swans said kindly, “You are not a duck. You are a swan.” The gray child was surprised. “But I’m not pure white?” Then an older swan said, “Swans can have many different colors.”

💬 You Are a Swan

🤔 The swans kindly taught the gray child, didn’t they? How does it feel when someone speaks kindly to you?

The gray child looked at himself reflected in the water. There, he saw a gray swan. He was not pure white. But he was a soft gray, like clouds after the rain. When the evening light touched his feathers, they sparkled and looked silver. The swans said, “Your color is very lovely.” The gray swan felt a little happy.

💬 Maybe My Feathers Are Beautiful

🤔 What do the gray feathers look like to you? Clouds? Silver? Let’s look together for what makes them beautiful.

The gray swan no longer disliked his feathers. Among the white swans, his gray feathers were easy to see. That is why the lost little birds could find him right away. The gray swan said, “This way. It’s okay.” The gray swan thought, “I didn’t have to become white. I am good just as I am.”

💬 I Am Good Just as I Am

🤔 The gray swan’s feathers helped the lost little birds, didn’t they? Everyone has something wonderful about them. What is something wonderful about you?