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The Donkey in the Lion's Skin

A fable from Indian Fairy Tales, collected by Joseph Jacobs

This fable comes from Indian Fairy Tales, collected by Joseph Jacobs and first published in 1892. The story has ancient roots in Indian tradition and also appears in Aesop's fables. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The Indian version gives us a reason for the donkey's disguise that makes the story richer. Fables like this one help children understand that pretending to be someone you are not always leads to trouble, and that being yourself is the best choice.

Band

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

Length

short · about 326 words in 5 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Indian Fairy Tales, Joseph Jacobs and John Dickson Batten

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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