The Ugly Duckling with Ella

It was summer! The sun was shining so bright, like a big, yellow smile in the sky. Ella loved summer! Everything seemed happy and colorful. It was like the whole world was celebrating! Ella used to live in Houston, a big city, with lots of tall buildings and busy streets. But then, her family decided to move to a farm near the city. They wanted to be closer to nature and enjoy the fresh air. Ella loved the farm! There was so much space to run and play, and she could even use her superpower: glowing like a star! Ella was a dreamer, and she loved to imagine she was a star shining in the night sky.

The farm was so peaceful! There was a lovely stream that flowed through the fields, and a beautiful lake where Ella could swim. She loved to splash in the water and dive for shiny pebbles at the bottom. There were lots of animals on the farm, but Ella was most fascinated by the storks. They were so tall and graceful, with their long legs. Ella would try to walk like a stork, lifting her knees high and flapping her arms. She was such a dreamer!

One day, Ella was playing with the ducklings in the lake. She saw a mama duck sitting on a nest of eggs. It was so exciting! Ella watched as the eggs started to crack, and tiny, fuzzy ducklings popped out. But one egg, the biggest one of all, didn't crack. The mama duck seemed worried, but she stayed on the nest.

A few days later, Ella returned to the lake. The mama duck was gone, but the big egg was cracked! There was a baby duckling, but he was different. He was bigger than the other ducklings, with different colored feathers and a different beak. He looked sad.

Ella, who loved to make friends with animals, went up to the little duckling. "Why are you sad? You have the whole farm to explore, and the garden is full of yummy bugs!" she said. The duckling looked at her with big, sad eyes. "Everyone laughs at me because I'm different," he said. "I don't look like my brothers and sisters, and I don't feel good about it."

Ella felt sorry for the little duckling. "No, you're not strange," she said. "We would love to play with you! Come back tomorrow, and I'll show you my secret hiding place!" Ella told him about Outer space, a magical place where they could play and be together.