The Ettrick Shepherd

From Fifty Famous People, by James Baldwin

James Baldwin's Fifty Famous People (1912) is a collection of short biographies written for young readers. This story tells of James Hogg (1770–1835), a Scottish shepherd who became a celebrated poet. Hogg grew up in poverty and had almost no schooling, yet he taught himself to read and write, and his poems were admired across Scotland and beyond. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story is worth reading because it shows how loyalty, courage and a love of learning can change a life—and how a single brave act can save the day.

Band

Yellow · Emerging readers, about 6 to 8

Length

medium · about 533 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Fifty Famous People: A Book of Short Stories, James Baldwin · 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.