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The Butterfly That Stamped

From Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling

This story is from Just So Stories, a collection by Rudyard Kipling first published in 1902. Kipling's tales are full of humour, imagination and clever lessons. Here, King Solomon (Suleiman-bin-Daoud) has great wisdom and magical power, yet he learns that a gentle jest can solve a problem that force never could. His wife Balkis is just as wise: she sees that a lesson taught with laughter works better than one taught with anger. This story reminds us that true wisdom often means knowing when not to use the power you have, and that understanding others—even tiny butterflies—can teach us something important. This text reflects its era.

Band

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

Length

medium · about 849 words in 6 sections · 3 pictures

Source

Just so stories, Rudyard Kipling

First published

1902

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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