Why Grandfather Frog Has No Tail

From Old Mother West Wind, by Thornton W. Burgess

Thornton W. Burgess wrote Old Mother West Wind in 1910, one of many gentle animal tales set in the Green Meadows and the Smiling Pool. This story explains why frogs lose their tails as they grow, weaving natural history into a fable about vanity and useful work. Burgess's animal characters charmed generations of young readers and introduced them to the habits of wildlife with warmth and imagination. The 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 384 words in 5 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Old Mother West Wind, Thornton W. Burgess · 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.