Cover Image: The Pugly Duckling

The Pugly Duckling

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Member Reviews

What a lovely book with a great moral to it. Be true to yourself and appreciate your own special talents. Really well told with delightful illustrations.Only bit I wasn’t sure about was that children may now believe that pugs and born inside eggs like birds! Otherwise thoroughly recommended!
Thank you to Netgalley and Indigo River Publishing for allowing me to read an advance digital copy in return for an honest review.

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Well, what can I say. This was very cute. The pictures are definitely endearing, and so is the storyline. Basically a new take on ugly duckling as you can probably figure out for yourself just by the name. 😂 Overall the rhymes are strong which is surprisingly rare in children's books these days, But to me the storyline felt sort of disjointed. Things didn't flow naturally. When the pugly duckling was trying to be portrayed as brave, he wasn't being brave at all. At some point he just suddenly had a costume and we didn't get to see how that plan came to fruition. There were just some random things like that that made it feel less connected. That being said, I did very much enjoy this book and it would be a fun one to read to kiddos. May preschool class probably would love this one. ♥️ Something that I didn't enjoy as much was the repetitive nature (ugly wugly over and over again)of the writing, but I do know that that is part of what kids love. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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This is an adorable and unique retelling of the Ugly Duckling. It's, of course, predictable, but the illustrations and rhyming are so delightful that one can't help but want to go along for the ride! It'd be great for story times. Though, it would probably also be a good call to teach kids that puppies do not hatch from eggs, just in case.

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I liked the message behind this book & its a great reminder for our kiddos to be proud of who they are & that not all of us are the same. The illustrations were ok but could have been a little more cleaned up I guess. Overall it wasnt bad it wasnt great its a solid childrens book.

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Great theme for children, teaching them it's best to be themselves. Fun drawings of the cute characters.
Language was a little clunky & twee "ugly-wugly" & "cuddy-wuddly" which quickly lost my 4 year olds attention unfortunately & I was left reading it to my 2 year old who was more interested in the pictures.

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The Pugly Duckling is a cute children’s book is about being yourself and not trying to fit it. The story is cute and the illustrations are great and bright.


Thank you Indigo River Publishing and NetGalley for The Pugly Duckling.

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Oh. My. Gosh.

The title alone makes this book just ridiculously awesome, let alone the cool concept and even better story.

We meet these two ducks (Joe and Jean, in case you are wondering) and all they want is a baby ducky! But what ends up happening? THEY GET A PUG. He's wrinkly and fluffy and not what a goose is supposed to look like! But they still love him. He's just... a pugly duckling. This tale is absolutely adorable, especially since they accept their pug child for who he is. But then he comes up with a plan and decides to wear a duck costume (because that's obviously the best way to become a duck - dress like one).

This story will warm your heart and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It's sweet and a great change of pace for the classic tale. It's super adorable and I absolutely love it!

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Indigo River Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

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The Pugly Duckling by Carla Siravo is a retelling on the well known classic, The Ugly Duckling. One large difference though, a pug dog hatches from the egg! The pug, John, experiences rejection from the other animals and his despair is readily apparent to even the youngest child. The message of resiliency and self worth are shared. You see the power of the importance of believing in yourself and embracing your unique gifts as the story continues. The illustrations are rich, colorful and engaging even for the youngest child but the message is more appropriate for a preschool or early elementary aged child. This will make an adorable addition to a well stocked library.

I was provided a free advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review from Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

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very cute little picture book about being yourself and knowing your own worth. Don't try to be someone you're not, you will just come off as phony. cute artwork :)

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This was a sweet and fun book to read. Even my 18 month old stayed engaged through the whole book and loved the rhymes. The heart of the story about loving yourself comes across clearly and John the pug is so lovable. I already have a few kids in mind who will be getting this book for their next birthday.

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Thank you to @netgalley, the publisher and author for gifting me this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.


A new, wonderful, pugly take on an old classic. Needles to say my 4-year old is glued to this book. And the second she saw it she wanted it - and since we have a pug she loves the book even more.

It is a nice way to teach the little ones how to be and love yourself.

Great work

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This is a funny and heartwarming children's book. I always think that self-acceptance is the most important thing for children to learn early in life. And I think this book will help them with its cute characters.

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Thank you Netgalley and thank you to this incredible author for displaying this message to children. I don’t know how to rate children’s books, I’m certain a 5 star rating is in order but I’m not sure on what grounds I personally rate children’s books. I requested this book initially because I LOVE dogs and the Ugly duckling was one of my favourite books as a child.

I was very pleased with this. I read it twice to my Nan to see if she thinks my brother would like it and again to my 6 year old brother. Both of them enjoyed it. This book has an important message of being yourself which is a great message for children and adults alike. My brother particularly liked the word play. For me personally, I loved the experience that this book gave me, being able to read this to my little brother and have him enjoy it. What’s more the pictures are really cute.

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I love pugs so was excited to give this a try. The Pugly Duckling has a sweet message of being who you are. I enjoyed the whimsical illustrations, but feel other picture books have captured this message better.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy.

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This is an adorable undated take on the story of The Ugly Duckling with a cute pug puppy as the star. This is a great way to bring the story to a new genetation.
Many thanks to Indigo River Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

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Jean and Joe Duck were expecting a baby duck, but when their odd-shaped egg hatches, inside is a pug! He’s got a swirly tail, and big paws, and claws. The other ducks make fun of him and never let him be part of the group, but when he saves them from a fox, they see how wonderful he is, just as he is.

This cute little book teaches about the importance of being yourself and also realizing that others are wonderful just as themselves. Acceptance is an important lesson at any age, and little ones would do well to learn it early.

It’s freshly out, so if you’re looking for fun books to add to holiday storytime, grab it from your favorite indie bookseller or request through your library.

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This was such a cute picture book! I loved the Ugly Duckling premise but with a dog. The art was beautiful and adorable. I can't wait to purchase this book and read it to my baby sister over and over again!

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This book was adorable! The message was cute, the language play was silly, and the rhymes were fun. The illustrations were beautiful and very colorful. We all know the story of The Ugly Duckling. This twist on the tale encourages you to love yourself, be true to who you are, and that those who love you will love you for you. Very fun to read out loud with littles!

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I am a huge fan of pugs and this was the CUTEST kids book. Really loved the message and the illustrations, Great moral about being true to who you are!

Thank you Carla Siravo, Indigo River Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. #ThePuglyDuckling #NetGalley

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Loved reading this story! I was smiling throughout. What a lovely message and one that every child needs to hear. I am a big fan of the title of the book - so clever!
I used to work as a teaching assistant and this book would be an excellent read for an interactive and fun circle-time. Definitely a story that could be read multiple times without getting bored quickly.

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