Why the Wren Flies Close to the Earth

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

This nature myth comes from The Book of Nature Myths by Florence Holbrook, first published in 1902. These stories explain why animals look or act the way they do. In this tale, the birds choose a king by a contest, but one bird tries to cheat — and learns a lesson instead. The story teaches children about fairness, honesty and knowing your own limits. A wren is a very small brown bird that lives close to the ground, and an eagle is a large, powerful bird that soars high in the sky.

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.