The Tinder-Box
A fairy tale from Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen wrote this fairy tale in Denmark in 1835. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story follows a soldier who meets a witch, finds magic dogs, loses his fortune, and wins it back with cleverness and courage. Andersen's tales are loved around the world because they mix wonder, humour and the truth that luck can change in an instant.
- Band
- Yellow · Emerging readersTypical starting range: ages 6–8
- Length
- medium · about 565 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 10 minutes at this band
- Pause questions
- 2
- Words to Know
- 5
- 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.
Report a concern about this reader · What’s in a HummingRead reader
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.