The Diamond and the Loadstone

A fable retold from Harrison Weir's Favourite Fables

This fable comes from Harrison Weir's Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse, a collection published in the 1800s. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story teaches children that true worth comes from being helpful, not from how we look. It shows that things—and people—who seem plain or ordinary may have hidden value that sparkles more brightly than any jewel.

Band

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

Length

short · about 380 words in 4 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse, Harrison Weir · 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

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.