The Song My Paddle Sings

"The Valiant Little Tailor" Excerpt

Passage from "Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm"

One summer's morning a little tailor was sitting on his table by the window; he was in good spirits, and sewed with all his might. Then came a peasant woman down the street crying: "Good jams, cheap! Good jams and jellies, cheap!"

This rang pleasantly in the tailor's ears; he stretched his delicate head out of the window, and called: "Come up here, dear woman; here you will get rid of your goods."

The woman came up the three steps to the tailor with her heavy basket, and he made her unpack all the pots for him. He inspected each one, lifted it up, put his nose to it, and at length said: "The jam seems to me to be good, so weigh me out four ounces..."

The woman, who had hoped to find a good sale, gave him what he desired--but went away quite angry and grumbling.

"Now, this jam shall be blessed by God," cried the little tailor, "and give me health and strength."

So he brought the bread out of the cupboard, cut himself a piece right across the loaf and spread the jam over it.

"This won't taste bitter," said he, "but I will just finish the jacket before I take a bite."

He laid the bread near him, sewed on, and in his joy made bigger and bigger stitches. In the meantime the smell of the sweet jam rose to where the flies were sitting in great numbers, and they were attracted...

"Hi! who invited you?" said the little tailor, and drove the unbidden guests away.

The flies, who understood no German, would not be turned away, but came back again...

The little tailor at last lost all patience, and drew a piece of cloth from the hole under his work-table. "Wait, and I will give it to you," struck it mercilessly on them.

When he drew it away and counted, there lay before him no fewer than seven, dead and with legs stretched out.

"Are you a fellow of that sort?" said he, and could not help admiring his own bravery. "The whole town shall know of this!" And the little tailor hastened to cut himself a girdle, stitched it, and embroidered on it in large letters: "Seven at one stroke!"

"What, the town!" he continued, "the whole world shall hear of it!" and his heart wagged with joy like a lamb's tail. The tailor put on the girdle, and resolved to go forth into the world, because he thought his workshop was too small for his valor...

Reading Comprehension Questions

1) In the above passage, the main character is a "tailor." Which of the following gives the best definition for the word "tailor"?

a. somebody who prepares and sells food

b. somebody who rents out buildings

c. somebody who makes or repairs clothes

d. somebody who works in a factory

2) In the above passage, the man kills "no fewer than seven" flies with one stroke of the towel. How does this make him feel?

a. courageous

b. guilty

c. suspicious

d. exhausted

3) In the above passage, the woman selling the jam "went away quite angry and grumbling." Why was she upset?

a. she didn't want to sell the jam

b. she wanted to get more money for the jam

c. she knew he didn't appreciate the jam

d. she didn't know how to get home

4) If the above passage is a fable, then the main character most likely needs to learn which lesson as the story continues?

a. it is important to stay humble

b. it is scary to live in the big city

c. it is hard to earn an honest dollar

d. it is difficult to overcome your fears

5) In the above passage, the line "his heart wagged with joy like a lamb's tail" features which two figures of speech?

a. alliteration and metaphor

b. personification and simile

c. metaphor and onomatopoeia

d. simile and alliteration

6) At the end of the above passage, the man decides to "go forth into the world." This journey is inspired by which of the following?

a. his need to leave the small town

b. his success in selling jams and jellies

c. his fear of being alone

d. his desire to show his bravery

Answer Key