The Swineherd

From Andersen's Fairy Tales, by Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author who wrote this fairy tale in the nineteenth century. His stories often explore human flaws and the consequences of foolish choices. In this tale, a proud princess learns a hard lesson about what truly matters. The story contrasts the natural beauty of a rose and a nightingale with clever but artificial toys, and asks readers to think about what they value and why. Andersen's tales remain popular because they reveal truths about human nature that are as relevant now as they were when he first wrote them.

Band

Green · Independent readers, early, about 8 to 10

Length

medium · about 788 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.