The Language of Animals

From Europa's Fairy Book, by Joseph Jacobs

Joseph Jacobs (1854–1916) was a folklorist who collected and retold fairy tales from across Europe. This story comes from Europa's Fairy Book, published in 1916. Like many folk tales, it features magic (here, the ability to understand animals) as part of the story machinery. The tale rewards patience, warns against jealousy, and shows that wisdom can come in unexpected forms. It is worth a child's time because it shows how a misunderstood gift becomes a source of good — and how what seems foolish to some may turn out to be wise.

Band

Yellow · Emerging readers, about 6 to 8

Length

medium · about 576 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Europa's Fairy Book, Joseph Jacobs · 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.