The Covetous Man

A fable retold from Harrison Weir's Favourite Fables

This fable comes from Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse, collected by Harrison Weir in the nineteenth century. It is a story in the tradition of Aesop, teaching that money is only valuable when it is used. The language has been lightly modernised for young listeners. This tale helps children think about what it means to treasure something, and whether hiding something away is the same as enjoying it.

Band

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

Length

short · about 355 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.