The Goblin and the Grocer
A fairy tale retold from Hans Christian Andersen
This story is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, one of the great storytellers of the nineteenth century. It was translated from Danish and collected in The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The tale asks a question children understand: when two things you love pull you in different directions, what do you choose? Andersen's goblin discovers that magic and wonder live in poetry, but comfort and treats matter too—and sometimes the heart wants both.
- Band
- Purple · Pre-readers and first readersTypical starting range: ages 4–5
- Length
- short · about 332 words in 5 sections · 4 pictures
- Source
- The Pink Fairy Book, Andrew Lang
- 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 8 minutes at this band
- Pause questions
- 4
- 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.
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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.