How Old Mr. Mink Taught Himself to Swim

From Mother West Wind "How" Stories by Thornton W. Burgess

This story comes from Mother West Wind "How" Stories, published in 1917 by American nature writer Thornton W. Burgess. Burgess wrote hundreds of gentle animal tales to teach children about wildlife and good character. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story shows a child that persistence and practice can help you master something that seems impossible at first—and that helping yourself is the first step to earning help from others.

Band

Yellow · Emerging readers, about 6 to 8

Length

medium · about 543 words in 5 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Mother West Wind "How" 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.