The Hermit and the Bear

A fable retold from Harrison Weir

This fable comes from Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse by Harrison Weir, a Victorian collection published in the 1800s. The story teaches that a well-meaning friend who lacks good sense can cause more harm than an enemy. Fables like this one have been told for centuries to help children think about friendship, choice, and consequences. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised.

Band

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

Length

short · about 323 words in 5 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.