The Top and Ball

A fairy tale retold from Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish writer who lived in the 1800s and wrote many beloved fairy tales. "The Top and Ball" is a story about pride, love, and how time changes us. The top loves the ball, but she thinks she is too fine for him. Years later, they meet again in a very different place. This story reminds us that beauty and pride do not last forever, but the choices we make can change our lives. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised.

Band

Yellow · Emerging readers, about 6 to 8

Length

medium · about 523 words in 5 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.