The Black Douglas

From Fifty Famous Stories Retold, by James Baldwin

This story comes from Fifty Famous Stories Retold (1896) by American teacher James Baldwin. It is a legend from the time of King Robert Bruce of Scotland, who fought to keep his kingdom free from English rule in the 1300s. The Black Douglas was a real Scottish warrior, Sir James Douglas, famous for his courage and cleverness. This reader reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story shows how bravery and surprise can win the day—and how even a feared warrior can show mercy.

Band

Yellow · Emerging readers, about 6 to 8

Length

medium · about 526 words in 5 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Fifty Famous Stories Retold, James Baldwin · 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.