The Emperor's New Clothes

From Andersen's Fairy Tales, by H. C. Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was a Danish author whose fairy tales are read around the world. 'The Emperor's New Clothes' was first published in 1837 and remains one of his most famous stories. It explores vanity, pride, and the courage it takes to speak the truth when everyone else is silent. The tale reminds readers that honesty and simplicity can be wiser than pretence and fear. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised.

Band

Green · Independent readers, early, about 8 to 10

Length

long · about 880 words in 6 sections · 3 pictures

Source

Andersen's Fairy Tales, H. C. Andersen · Project Gutenberg

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

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.