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Horatius at the Bridge

From Fifty Famous Stories Retold, by James Baldwin

James Baldwin published Fifty Famous Stories Retold in 1896 as a collection of tales from history and legend for young readers. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story of Horatius comes from early Roman tradition, when the young Republic faced invasion by the Etruscan king Porsena around 508 BC. It is remembered for one man's courage in the face of an army, and for the trust a city placed in that courage. Baldwin gives us both the human choice and the poetic lines that made the story last.

Band
Green · Independent readers, earlyTypical starting range: ages 9–11
Length
medium · about 840 words in 5 sections · 3 pictures
Source
Fifty Famous Stories Retold, James Baldwin
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)

Lesson at a glance

Reading
about 10 minutes at this band
Pause questions
2
Words to Know
9
Quick Check
10 questions, with the answer key
Let’s Talk
2 questions for afterwards
Worksheet
questions, an activity and a drawing prompt

About 40 minutes with one story, all of it.

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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The same story

Other bands of this story

This story is ready now at the Green band only. Other bands can be made to order for members after launch.