Why the Parrot Repeats the Words of Men

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

This nature myth comes from The Book of Nature Myths (1902) by Florence Holbrook, an American educator who collected folk tales that explain animal behaviour. Long ago, storytellers invented these tales to answer questions like "Why does the parrot talk?" This story reflects its era; the parrot's choice to repeat rather than speak truth is presented as a consequence of human deception. The myth shows young readers that honesty matters, that tricks can have lasting consequences, and that sometimes the innocent suffer when others lie—timeless ideas told through a bird who once spoke his mind.

Band

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

Length

short · about 366 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.