Androcles and the Lion

A fable retold from Europa's Fairy Book, by Joseph Jacobs

This fable comes from Europa's Fairy Book, collected by Joseph Jacobs and first published in 1916. The story is set in ancient Rome, when slavery was common and people were sometimes punished by being thrown to wild animals. Androcles' kindness to the lion—and the lion's gratitude—teach us that compassion and mercy can come back to us in surprising ways.

Band

Yellow · Emerging readers, about 6 to 8

Length

medium · about 535 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.