The Buckwheat

A fairy tale retold from Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish writer of fairy tales in the nineteenth century. This tale was first published in 1841. A sparrow tells the story of a proud buckwheat plant that would not bend during a storm. The story teaches a lesson about pride and humility through the natural world. Andersen's tales are known for giving voices to plants, animals and everyday things, showing children that even small creatures have wisdom to share.

Band

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

Length

short · about 335 words in 4 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, H. C. Andersen · 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.