The Darning-Needle

A fairy tale retold from Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen wrote this fairy tale in the nineteenth century in Denmark. The darning-needle is very proud and thinks she is too fine for ordinary work. She learns that pride can lead to a fall — but even at the end, lying in the street, she does not change. Andersen's tales often show us characters who do not see themselves clearly, and ask us to notice what they cannot see. This story invites a young listener to think about how we see ourselves and how we treat the world around us.

Band

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

Length

short · about 346 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.