The Little Brother and Sister

“Little Brother took his sister's hand and whispered, 'Since Mother died, we have not had one happy hour.”

From Grimm's Fairy Stories by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

This tale comes from Grimm's Fairy Stories, collected by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and first published in the early nineteenth century. The Grimms gathered folktales from oral tradition across German-speaking lands, preserving stories passed down for generations. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. 'The Little Brother and Sister' is one of the Grimms' most moving tales of loyalty: a sister's steadfast love protects her brother through transformation, exile, danger and dark magic, and in the end, both are restored. It asks the reader to see that devotion and courage, even in a child, can overcome cruelty and enchantment alike.

Band

Green · Independent readers, earlyTypical starting range: ages 9–11

Length

long · about 856 words in 6 sections · 3 pictures

Source

Grimm's Fairy Stories, Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

Readers are engineered from the original public-domain text with AI under HummingRead’s published canon and Content Philosophy, checked by automated audit and sampled by a person. Pictures are made with AI to HummingRead’s brief for each story. How a reader is made.

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