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The Butterfly That Stamped

From Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling

This story comes from Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling, first published in 1902. Kipling wrote stories to explain how things came to be, and this tale is about wisdom, patience and cleverness. It is set in the time of the great King Solomon, known in the story by his Arabic name. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story is worth reading because it shows that the wisest people solve problems with kindness and laughter instead of power and anger, and that sometimes the smallest creatures teach the biggest lessons.

Band
Yellow · Emerging readersTypical starting range: ages 6–8
Length
medium · about 544 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures
Source
Just so stories, Rudyard Kipling
First published
1902
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
3
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 40 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

The Butterfly That Stamped at other bands