How the Quail Became a Snipe

A nature myth retold from The Book of Nature Myths by Florence Holbrook

Florence Holbrook published The Book of Nature Myths in 1902, a collection of pourquoi stories (tales that explain how things came to be) from many traditions. This myth tells why the snipe looks different from the quail. The story is centuries old, retold for children of Holbrook's era. It teaches that unkindness can drive someone away, and that we can choose our own path even after hard things happen. A few period terms have been modernised.

Band

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

Length

short · about 342 words in 5 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.