The Ratcatcher
A fairy tale from The Red Fairy Book, collected by Andrew Lang
This tale comes from The Red Fairy Book (1890), collected by Andrew Lang, a Scottish scholar who gathered folk tales from around the world. The story is based on a real legend from the German town of Hamelin. In the year 1284, the town records say that many children disappeared, and no one knows what truly happened to them. This tale offers one answer. The story teaches that breaking a promise can have serious consequences. It reminds readers to keep their word and treat others fairly. This text reflects its era.
- Band
- Yellow · Emerging readersTypical starting range: ages 6–8
- Length
- medium · about 550 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures
- Source
- The Red Fairy Book, Andrew Lang
- First published
- 1890
- 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
- 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.
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.