Why Sammy Jay Has a Fine Coat

From Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories, by Thornton W. Burgess

Thornton W. Burgess wrote the Mother West Wind stories in the early 1900s. They are animal tales from the Green Forest and Green Meadows, each with a lesson about nature or character. This story explains why the blue jay's bright feathers are not a reward but a warning that helps other animals stay safe. Burgess believed children could learn about kindness and honesty from watching the animals around them. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised.

Band

Yellow · Emerging readers, about 6 to 8

Length

medium · about 552 words in 5 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Mother West Wind "Why" Stories, Thornton W. Burgess · 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 (8 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Colouring page

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.