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How the Alphabet Was Made

From Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling

This reader is adapted from 'How the Alphabet Was Made' by Rudyard Kipling, first published in 1902 in his Just So Stories collection. Kipling imagines how a prehistoric girl named Taffy and her father might have invented the very first writing by turning sounds into pictures. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story celebrates curiosity, problem-solving and the joy of discovery—and reminds us that every letter we write began as someone's clever idea long, long ago.

Band

Purple · Pre-readers and first readersTypical starting range: ages 4–5

Length

short · about 348 words in 5 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Just so stories, Rudyard Kipling

First published

1902

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)

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.

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