How Flax Was Given to Men
A myth retold from The Book of Nature Myths by Florence Holbrook
This myth comes from The Book of Nature Myths by Florence Holbrook, published in 1902. Holda is a goddess from Germanic and Norse tradition who was believed to teach people useful skills. This story explains how people learned to grow flax and make linen cloth from its blue flowers. The tale shows that sometimes a simple gift can be more valuable than treasure, and that wisdom lies in choosing what is truly useful. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised.
- Band
- Purple · Pre-readers and first readersTypical starting range: ages 4–5
- Length
- short · about 313 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures
- Source
- The Book of Nature Myths, Florence Holbrook
- 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
- · Colouring page
- · Teacher’s Edition (members)
Lesson at a glance
- Reading
- about 7 minutes at this band
- Pause questions
- 5
- Words to Know
- 4
- Quick Check
- 6 questions, with the answer key
- Let’s Talk
- 3 questions for afterwards
- Worksheet
- questions, an activity and a drawing prompt
About 35 minutes with one story, all of it.
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.
Report a concern about this reader · What’s in a HummingRead reader
The same story
Other bands of this story
This story is ready now at the Purple band only. Other bands can be made to order for members after launch.