What the Old Man Does Is Always Right

A fairy tale retold from Hans Christian Andersen

This tale is from Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish storyteller who wrote The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling. Andersen published this story in 1861. It reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story teaches that trust and kindness at home are worth more than gold, and that a cheerful heart can win any bet.

Band

Yellow · Emerging readers, about 6 to 8

Length

medium · about 568 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, H. C. Andersen · 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.