The Vagabonds

A tale retold from Household Stories by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

The Brothers Grimm collected this story in the early 1800s in Germany. It tells of a proud cock and hen who refuse to walk home, build a carriage, and trick their way through a journey—then leave mischief behind them. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The tale is remembered for its playful animal characters and the clever, cheeky ending. It rewards curiosity about consequences and reminds children that tricks can catch up with the trickster.

Band

Purple · Pre-readers and first readers, about 4 to 5

Length

short · about 367 words in 5 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm · 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 (6 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Colouring page

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.