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The Shirt-collar

A fairy tale retold from Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen wrote this fairy tale in Denmark in the 1800s. It is a story about everyday objects that come to life—a shirt-collar, a garter, an iron, scissors, and a hair-brush. The shirt-collar is vain and boastful, and he lies to impress others. In the end, he is punished by having his whole story printed on paper for everyone to read. Andersen's tales often teach lessons about kindness, truth, and humility. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised.

Band
Yellow · Emerging readersTypical starting range: ages 6–8
Length
medium · about 530 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures
Source
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, H. C. Andersen
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
  • · Teacher’s Edition (members)

Lesson at a glance

Reading
about 9 minutes at this band
Pause questions
2
Words to Know
6
Quick Check
8 questions, with the answer key
Let’s Talk
3 questions for afterwards
Worksheet
questions, an activity and a drawing prompt

About 35 minutes with one story, all of it.

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.

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The same story

Other bands of this story

This story is ready now at the Yellow band only. Other bands can be made to order for members after launch.