Sebastien Braun

I've loved all the Sebastien Braun books I've read so far...until this one.

I still love his illustrations - thick outlines, strong greens and yellows, gently humorous eyes, sparkling drops of water.

I just can't take his retelling. In Braun's retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic story, Mother Duck is surprised when she sees her giant, ugly chick, but says "I shall love this one just the same." She repeats this refrain as the ugly duckling is tormented by all the other poultry. Then show more the ugly duckling gets lost, spends a cold winter, meets the swans and realizes he is beautiful. The end.

Apparently his mother's unconditional love didn't inspire him to return to her. Is she upset he's still missing? Does she care? We don't know. In the original story, his mother originally defends him a little, "It is a drake, and therefore not of so much consequence. I think he will grow up strong, and able to take care of himself." But as the other fowl in the poultry yard torment him, including his siblings, his mother eventually comes to dislike him as well "his mother said she wished he had never been born."

Obviously, Braun retold this story for much younger children and didn't want to include the ugly duckling's rejection by his family. But in the process, he has removed the main point of this story - sometimes everyone thinks you're useless and ugly. Some kids are unwanted by their families. But you can still become a swan. Is The Ugly Duckling a good story for young children? Depends on the child. I've seen several requests over the past few months for adoption stories for young children that didn't feature a loving birth mother. Some young children have painful lives. They need stories that celebrate resilience and offer them hope that they can prove wrong all the people who have told them they're not wanted. Children whose parents do offer unconditional love need to know that not all children have the same. They need to be able to empathize with others.

There are plenty of cute stories about parents loving their children which are suitable for bedtime. Trying to soften the story of the Ugly Duckling into this mold was unnecessary.

Verdict: Not recommended. Add some of Sebastien Braun's other picturebooks if you want sweet bedtime stories of love and cuddles, but pick out some more faithful retellings if you're looking for Ugly Duckling books. show less

When Raj and his dad head out for a day of adventures, list of activities firmly in hand, the young tiger imagines it is going to be the best day ever. But when it transpires that his father has accidentally left his wallet at home, preventing them from doing some of the things on the list, Raj thinks that their outing has been ruined. Fortunately, both he and his dad soon find ways to have fun that don't involve money, and the day turns out to be a success after all...

Expatriate French show more author/illustrator Sebastien Braun, now living and working in London, has created many engaging reassurance stories for young children. His On Our Way Home is a lovely father-child story for younger childdren, and so is Raj and the Best Day Ever! I thought the loving interactions between Raj and his father were well-captured here, both in art and text, and I appreciated the message (too infrequently seen in children's stories) that fun can be had through activities that don't require a lot of money. As long as you have an imagination, and a loving playmate, you're set! The artwork here was colorful and humorous, perfectly capturing Raj and his father's reactions, whether of consternation or pleasure, throughout the story. Recommended to anyone looking for good father-son stories for the picture-book set, as well as to those seeking children's stories that emphasize that money isn't required, to have a good time with one's loved ones. show less

With this charming reassurance tale meant for the very young, Sebastien Braun - whose I Love My Daddy and I Love My Mommy belong to the same genre - pairs a simple text with warm, expressive illustrations, creating a very satisfying bedtime story. As Daddy and Baby Bear make their way home, they frequently stop to enjoy the natural beauty around them. Together, they race through a meadow, count the golden leaves falling from above, and share the berries they find. "We saw the twinkling stars show more come out..." the narrative concludes, "And then we were home."

It is all too easy for books such as this to slip into mawkishness, but On Our Way Home manages to convey a sense of love and security with simple, straightforward language. Braun's lovely acrylic illustrations, luminous and tender, slowly seduce and lull the reader. What could be more desirable, in a bedtime book? show less

Sebastien Braun, a picture-book author/artist whose work is generally geared toward younger children - think reassurance tales like I Love My Mommy and On Our Way Home, or simple concept-books like Meeow and the Big Box and :Meeow and the Little Chairs - turns his attention to Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy-tale in this new offering for the Story House collection. Depending upon you view of revisionist fairy-tales, this retelling of The Ugly Duckling will appear either in the light show more of a charming adaptation for younger children, or a misguided watering down of the original. My friends probably won't be surprised to discover I fall more into the latter camp...

Although the simple illustrations - done in India ink, marker pen, and colored pencil - are undeniably cute, the narrative itself is so bland, that I had difficulty understanding why Andersen's tale was used at all. If all that was required was a gentle, feel-good animal story, surely an original one could have been created? But to take a classic story, something that has bite - there is a kind of sharp poignancy to the duckling's suffering, from his rejection by his own mother, to his all-too-brief sojourn with the doomed ganders in the wild - and omit all the disturbing elements, so as not to distress the tots... Well, it doesn't sit right. If The Ugly Duckling is too disturbing for toddlers, I say: read them something else. show less