Cover of Duffy and the Devil

Duffy and the Devil

by Harve Zemach

Assigned across 1 curriculum list

Duffy and the Devil by Harve Zemach is assigned in US schools at grades k–3. It appears across 1 curriculum reference, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Duffy and the Devil is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Grade range
Grades K–3
Pages
40
Reading time
about 45 minutes (est.)
First published
1973
Genre
Juvenile Fiction
ISBN-13
9780374418977
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About this book

Duffy and the Devil was a popular play in Cornwall in the nineteenth century, performed at the Christmas season by groups of young people who went from house to house. The Zemachs have interpreted the folk tale which the play dramatized, recognizable as a version of the widespread Rumpelstiltskin story. Its main themes are familiar, but the character and details of this picture book are entirely Cornish, as robust and distinctive as the higgledy-piggledy, cliff-hanging villages that dot England's southwestern coast from Penzance to Land's End. The language spoken by the Christmas players was a rich mixture of local English dialect and Old Cornish (similar to Welsh and Gaelic), and something of this flavor is preserved in Harve Zemach's retelling. Margot Zemach's pen-and-wash illustrations

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Why widely assigned

This Juvenile Fiction title, typically at grades k–3. Written in the 1970s; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Where this book is assigned

Common questions

What grade level is Duffy and the Devil?
Duffy and the Devil is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades K–3. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
How long does it take to read Duffy and the Devil?
It takes about 45 minutes to read Duffy and the Devil (40 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 45 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Duffy and the Devil?
Duffy and the Devil appears on reading lists for Caldecott Medal. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Duffy and the Devil banned in schools?
Duffy and the Devil does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.

Why this book is on this list

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades K–3 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner.
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