When Old Mr. Panther Lost His Honour

From Mother West Wind "When" Stories, by Thornton W. Burgess

This reader is adapted from a story by Thornton W. Burgess, an American author who wrote gentle animal tales in the early 1900s. His stories often taught lessons about character and behaviour. In this tale, Peter Rabbit learns why panthers are called sneaks—not because of their size or strength, but because an ancestor long ago tried to steal a crown by lying and framing someone else. The story reminds us that honour matters more than power, and that even the smallest creature can hold their head high if they are honest.

Band

Yellow · Emerging readers, about 6 to 8

Length

medium · about 595 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Mother West Wind "When" Stories, Thornton W. Burgess · 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.