The Brown Fairy Book vs The Ugly Duckling: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Folklore, Fairy Tales, Children's fiction, Fiction

Cover of The Brown Fairy Book

The Brown Fairy Book Andrew Lang · 1904 ★★★★☆ 4.1 215 pages · ≈ 3 h 59 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

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Cover of The Ugly Duckling

The Ugly Duckling Hans Christian Andersen · 1851 ★★★★☆ 4.0 30 pages · ≈ 33 min · Easy Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.1 vs 4.0 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Ugly Duckling is the quicker read — about 1 hours vs 3 for The Brown Fairy Book.
The Ugly Duckling is the easier read (Easy), The Brown Fairy Book more demanding (Moderate).

Side by side