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Little Thumb

From The Blue Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang (first published 1889)

This reader retells a classic French fairy tale by Charles Perrault, included in Andrew Lang's The Blue Fairy Book, first published in 1889. Perrault's tale, like many old stories, contains moments of peril and cruelty—an ogre, a near-murder, a trick that costs lives—but the smallest and cleverest child outsmarts every danger. The story rewards intelligence, courage and careful observation. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised.

Band

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

Length

medium · about 821 words in 6 sections · 3 pictures

Source

The Blue Fairy Book, Andrew Lang

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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