• Follow the ugly duckling who is rejected by the other ducks because he doesn’t look like them and doesn’t fit in. Will they change their mind when he grows up – and will they have a surprise in store? This lovely wordless retelling of the traditional tale has been illustrated by James Mayhew.
• Lilac/Band 0 books are wordless books that tell a story through pictures and are designed to develop understanding about how stories work.
• A story map on pages 14–15 shows what happens as the ugly duckling develops into a beautiful swan, providing a wonderful opportunity for children to recap and retell the story in their own words.
• Text type: A wordless traditional tale
• Curriculum links: Personal, social and emotional development

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available.

Collins Big Cat is a whole-school reading programme that provides complete support for primary reading. Children will become fluent readers through hundreds of high-quality fiction and non-fiction banded books by award-winning authors and illustrators. In-depth teaching resources support you in developing and assessing key reading skills at all stages from early reading through to phonics, to guided, whole-class and independent reading for more confident readers.