Quackling

Story

Quackling is wise duck who saves up a lot of money. He lends some money to the King, who does not repay him. Quackling decides to set off to the King’s palace. On the way, he is joined by some unlikely friends, but “you can never have too many friends”!

Why we chose it

A lovely story to tell with very young children – with lots of actions. Quackling was one of the stories in our original audio stories collection. These stories are particularly suitable for learning to retell.

Where it came from

Versions of this traditional story can be found around the world but it is most popular in France and Spain. Originally passed down orally, it was first written down by Charles Marelle in 1888. It was called Bout-d’Canard (literally “tail of the duck”).

Where it went next

The story first appeared in English in the Langs’ Red Fairy Book published in 1890 where it was called Drakestail. This version of the tale was retold by storyteller Aaron Shepard. Shepard called his story Quackling.

Associated stories

Andrew Lang and his wife Leonora Blanche Alleyne published twelve Fairy Books, each a different colour, containing fairy stories from around the world.

Another story of a small fowl on a journey to the king who gathers a group of friends is that of Henny Penny – also known as Chicken Licken. Unlike Quackling, Henny Penny doesn’t reach the king