The Story of the First Woodpecker

A story retold from The Book of Nature Myths by Florence Holbrook

This story comes from The Book of Nature Myths by Florence Holbrook, a collection of traditional tales that explain how things in nature came to be. This is a Native American origin story that teaches about kindness and sharing. The Great Spirit is a figure in many Native American traditions, often seen as the creator or a powerful being who watches over the world. The story shows that being selfish has consequences, and it explains why woodpeckers peck at tree bark for their food. 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 358 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures

Source

The Book of Nature Myths, Florence Holbrook · 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.