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

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

Cover of The Grey Fairy Book

The Grey Fairy Book Andrew Lang · 1900 ★★★★☆ 4.0 178 pages · ≈ 3 h 18 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: 4.0 vs 4.0 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Ugly Duckling is the quicker read — about 1 hours vs 3 for The Grey Fairy Book.
The Ugly Duckling is the easier read (Easy), The Grey Fairy Book more demanding (Moderate).

Side by side