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Catherine and Her Destiny

A fairy tale from The Pink Fairy Book, collected by Andrew Lang

This fairy tale comes from The Pink Fairy Book, a collection published by Andrew Lang in 1897. Lang gathered stories from many lands; this one was first told in Sicily. A merchant's daughter meets her Destiny and chooses to suffer when young so she can be happy when old — and after seven hard years, a magic ball of silk changes everything. The tale teaches that patience and courage through hard times can lead to joy, and that the choices we make shape the life we live. Destinies in old stories are like fate: powers that guide what happens to people. This text reflects its era.

Band

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

Length

short · about 388 words in 6 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)

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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