How Wicked Sons Were Duped
A folktale retold from Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs
This tale comes from Indian Fairy Tales, collected by Joseph Jacobs and first published in 1892. Jacobs gathered folktales from across India and retold them for young readers. This story has been told in many lands — from Kashmir to the Scottish Highlands — and it teaches a timeless lesson: true kindness comes from the heart, not from hoping for a reward. The tale reminds children (and adults) that love and respect for family should never depend on money or what we might gain. This text reflects its era.
- Band
- Yellow · Emerging readersTypical starting range: ages 6–8
- Length
- medium · about 523 words in 5 sections · 4 pictures
- Source
- Indian Fairy Tales, Joseph Jacobs and John Dickson Batten
- 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
- · Teacher’s Edition (members)
Lesson at a glance
- Reading
- about 9 minutes at this band
- Pause questions
- 2
- 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 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.
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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.