The Green Fairy Book vs The Ugly Duckling: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Folklore, Fairy Tales, Children's fiction, Fiction
The Green Fairy Book
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Fairy tales gathered from the folklore of Russia, Germany, Italy, France, China, Scotland, and England.
The Ugly Duckling
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An ugly and unloved duckling turns out to be a beautiful swan.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Ugly Duckling has the widest readership — 21266 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Green Fairy Book | The Ugly Duckling | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (2797) | 3.7 (73) |
| Hardcover | 3.0 (1) | 5.0 (1) |
| Google Books | 3.0 (2) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (7) | 4.0 (21266) |
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Reception
| The Green Fairy Book | The Ugly Duckling | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2797 | 21266 |
| Editions | 336 | 122 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 4235 | 43 |
| Reading it now | 335 | — |
| Written reviews | 121 | 12 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3679 | 9059 |
| Pages | 120 | 30 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Green Fairy Book or The Ugly Duckling?
The Green Fairy Book has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Green Fairy Book 4.2/5, The Ugly Duckling 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Green Fairy Book or The Ugly Duckling?
The Ugly Duckling is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Ugly Duckling (30 pages, ≈ 33 min); The Green Fairy Book (120 pages, ≈ 2 h 13 m).
Which is harder to read: The Green Fairy Book or The Ugly Duckling?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Green Fairy Book: Moderate; The Ugly Duckling: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
The Green Fairy Book: no film adaptation on record; The Ugly Duckling: 1 film adaptation.