TOADS AND DIAMONDS

Once upon a time, there lived an old widow who was incredibly cold and bitter. She had two
daughters. The older daughter was named Fanny and the younger one was called Rose. The
older daughter was similar to her mother. Therefore, she was her mother’s favorite. Fanny had
inherited all the bad qualities of her mother. Whereas, Rose took after her late father. Rose was
sweet, gentle and beautiful. The mother despised her younger daughter and mistreated her.
Poor Rose was to do all the chores and lived on the leftovers of her older sister. Along with that,
she had to bring water every day, from a great distance.

One day, when Rose had just

drawn the water out of the well,
an old woman asked her for
some water. Rose politely
agreed. She held the pitcher as
the old woman drank water.
After she had kind-heartedly
given her the water, she
realized that the old woman
had been a fairy in disguise. “I
bless you with a gift,” the fairy
smiled kindly at Rose.
“Whenever you speak, a jewel
or a flower shall come out of
your mouth, for you have a
kind heart!”

The girl thanked the fairy

and went home. No sooner
than Rose entered her
house her mother started
scolding her. As poor Rose
tried to explain her delay,
diamonds and pearls fell out of her mouth. “What is this I see, child?” asked the mother,
astonished. Rose had never been happier, her mother finally called her a daughter.
Excitedly Rose told her mother about her encounter with the fairy. As soon as Rose
finished her story, Fanny was called. “Fanny, do you fancy the same gift?” the old
widow asked. “Go to the well
to draw out water. And if an old
woman asks you for water,
treat her nicely.”

The old widow forced her

obstinate daughter to go to the
well. Once, at the well, Fanny
drew out some water. Before
long, Fanny saw a well-
dressed beautiful princess
approach her. The beautiful
princess asked for some
water. “I am not here to serve
you,” Fanny snapped at her.
“You can help yourself.” Fanny
soon found out that the well-
dressed woman was the fairy
in disguise. The fairy had taken the form of
the princess to see if the girl’s rudeness
would go away. “I should give you a
present,” said the fairy. “A present that
matches your ill-manners and rudeness.
For every time you speak, a snake or a
toad shall come out of your mouth!”

Soon after that, Fanny ran home as fast as

she could. The old widow had been
expecting Fanny and a present grander than that of Rose’s. Sweet child, the mother
said as soon as she saw Fanny, what presents do you bring? And the moment Fanny
opened her mouth, two snakes and toads flew out. The mother screeched in horror.

“You evil girl,” the old widow screamed at Rose. “This is all your fault! You tricked me
and my daughter!” Without much delay, the old widow and Fanny chased Rose out of
their house. Poor Rose fled to the forest, in order to save herself. She fell down on a
bush and began crying bitterly.

Just then, the King’s son happened to pass by. He found Rose crying. “What is the
cause of your troubles?” he asked politely. “My mother drove me out of the house,” she
wept. As she wept, pearls and diamonds fell out of her mouth. The prince immediately
fell in love with her. “Tell me more, he said. Then, Rose narrated the entire story of what
had happened.

The prince took Rose to the palace and introduced her to the king. The king soon
realized that Rose was a remarkable girl. He gave his consent for their marriage. Rose
and the prince lived happily ever after.

TOADS AND DIAMOND

BY: CHARLES PERRAULT

“Diamonds and Toads”, also known in English as “Toads and Diamonds” and “The
Fairy”, (French: “Les Fées”, which literally means “The Fairies”) is a fairy tale by the
French author Charles Perrault. It is included in Perrault’s 1697 anthology Histoires ou
Contes du temps passé (Fairy Talees from Past Times with Morals or Mother Goose
Tales). A similar story, “Le doie pizzele” (“The Two Cakes”), appears in the
Pentamerone, the anthology of Italian folktales that was written some sixty years earlier
by Giambattista Basile. The Brothers Grimm include a very similar fairy tale, called “The
Three Little Men in the Wood” (Die drei Männlein im Walde), in their 1812 anthology of
German folktales. According to the 1974 book The Classic Fairy Tales by Iona and
Peter Opie, more than a thousand similar stories have been recorded in twenty different
countries.

The story’s protagonist is a kind young woman who is cruelly treated by her mother and
older sister. Both sisters meet a fairy in disguise when they go to fetch water from a
fountain. The younger one is rewarded for her kindness and the older one is punished
for her rudeness.

MORAL LESSON:

The moral of the story is that, although diamonds and money can do a lot to

influence people, kind words can be even more influential. A rhyming moral
tells the reader that politeness and gentle words are worth more than jewels.
 THE FROG PRINCE

By: The Brothers Grimm

In olden times, when to wish was to have, there lived a King whose
daughters were all beautiful. But the youngest was so fair that the Sun
himself, although he saw her often, was enchanted every time she came
out into the sunshine.

Near the castle of this King was a large and gloomy forest, and in the midst
grew an old linden-tree, beneath whose branches splashed a little fountain.
When the days were very warm, the King’s youngest daughter ran off to the
wood, and sat down by the side of the fountain. When she felt dull, she
would amuse herself by throwing a golden ball up in the air and catching it.
This was her favorite form of play.
Now, one day it happened that this golden ball did not fall down into her hand,
but on the grass; and then it rolled past her into the fountain. The child followed
the ball with her eyes, but it disappeared beneath the water, which was so deep
that no one could see to the bottom. Then she began to lament, and to cry louder
and louder; and as she wailed, a voice called out, ‘Why do you weep, O Princess?
Your tears would move even a stone to pity.’ She looked around to the spot from
which the voice came, and saw a Frog stretching his fat ugly head out of the
water.

‘Ah! you old water-paddler,’ said she, ‘was it you that spoke? I am crying for my
golden ball, which has slipped into the water.’ ‘Well, do not cry,’ answered the
Frog; ‘I can tell you what to do. But what will you give me if I fetch your plaything
up again?’

‘What will you have, dear Frog?’ said she. ‘My dresses, my pearls and jewels, or
the golden crown that I wear?’ The Frog answered, — ‘Dresses, jewels, or golden
crowns are not for me; but if you will love me, and let me be your companion and
playmate, and sit at your table, and eat from your little gold plate, and drink out of
your cup, and sleep in your little bed—if you will promise me all these, then will I
dive down and fetch up your golden ball.’ ‘Oh, I will promise you all,’ said she, ‘if
you will only get me my ball.’
But she thought to herself, ‘What is the silly Frog croaking about? Let him stay in
the water with his frogs; he cannot be company for any human being.’The Frog,
as soon as he had received her promise, drew his head under the water, and
dived down. Presently he swam up again with the ball in his mouth, and threw it
on the grass. The Princess was full of joy when she again saw her beautiful
plaything; and, taking it up, she ran off immediately. ‘Stop I stop!’ cried the Frog;
‘take me with you. I cannot run as you can.’ But all his croaking was useless;
although it was loud enough, she did not hear it, but, hastening home, soon
forgot the poor Frog, who was obliged to leap back into the fountain.

The next day, when the Princess was sitting at table with her father and all his
courtiers, and was eating from her little gold plate, something was heard coming
up the marble stairs, splish-splash, splish-splash; and, when it arrived at the top,
it knocked at the door, and a voice said, ‘Open the door, youngest daughter of the
King, and let me in!’ So she rose and went to see who it was that called her; but,
when she opened the door and caught sight of the Frog, she shut it again very
quickly, and sat down at the table, looking very pale. The King saw that her heart
was beating violently, and asked her if it was a giant come to fetch her away who
stood at the door.
‘Oh, no!’ answered she; ‘it is no giant, but an ugly Frog.’ ‘What does the Frog
want with you?’ said the King. ‘Oh, dear father, when I was sitting yesterday
playing by the fountain, my golden ball fell into the water, and this Frog fetched it
up again because I cried so much: but first, I must tell you, he pressed me so
much that I promised him that he should be my companion. I never thought that
he could come out of the water; but somehow he has jumped out, and now he
wants to come in here.’

At that moment there was another knock, and a voice said,—

‘Youngest Princess,
Open the door.
Have you forgotten
Your promises made
At the fountain so clear
’Neath the lime-tree’s shade?
Youngest Princess,
Open the door.’

Then the King said, ‘What you have promised, that you must do; go and let him
in.’ So she went and opened the door, and the Frog hopped in after her right up to
her chair: and, as soon as she was seated, the Frog said, ‘Take me up.’ She
hesitated so long that at last the King ordered her to obey. As soon as the Frog
sat on the chair, he jumped on to the table and said, ‘Now push your plate near
me, that we may eat together.’ She did so, but, as every one saw, very unwillingly.

The Frog seemed, to relish his dinner, but every bit that the King’s daughter ate
nearly choked her. At last the Frog said, ‘I am satisfied, and feel very tired; will
you carry me upstairs now to our room, and make our bed ready that we may
sleep?’

At this speech the Princess began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold Frog, and
dared not touch him; and besides, he actually wanted to sleep in her beautiful,
clean bed!
Her tears only made the King very angry, and he said, ‘He who helped you in the
time of your trouble, must not now be despised.’ So she took the Frog up with
two fingers, and put him in a corner of her room. But, as she lay in her bed, he
crept up to it, and said, ‘I am so very tired that I shall sleep well; do take me up, or
I will tell your father.’ This speech put her in a passion, and, catching up the Frog,
she threw him with all her strength against the wall, saying angrily, ‘Now, will you
be quiet, you ugly Frog?’

But, as he fell, he was changed from a frog into a handsome Prince with beautiful
eyes, and after a little while he became, with her father’s consent, her dear
companion and playmate. Then he told her how he had been changed by a
wicked witch, and that no one but herself could have had the power to take him
out of the fountain; and that on the morrow they would go together to his own
kingdom.

The next morning, as soon as the sun rose, a carriage, drawn by eight beautiful
horses, with white ostrich feathers on their heads, and golden bridles, drove up
to the door of the palace, and behind the carriage stood the trusty Henry, the
servant of the young Prince. When his master was changed into a frog, trusty
Henry had grieved so much that he had bound three iron bands round his heart,
for fear it should break with sorrow. Now that the carriage was ready to carry the
young Prince to his own country, the faithful Henry helped in the bride and
bridegroom, and placed himself in the seat behind, full of joy at his master’s
release. They had not gone far when the Prince heard a crack, as if something
had broken behind the carriage; so he put his head out of the window and asked
Henry what was broken.
‘It was not the carriage, my master,’ Henry answered quietly, ‘but a band which I
bound round my heart when it was in grief because you were changed into a
frog.’

Twice afterwards on the journey there was the same noise, and each time the
Prince thought that it was some part of the carriage that had given way. But it was
only the breaking of the bands which bound the heart of the trusty Henry, who
was thenceforward free and happy.

THE FROG PRINCE

By: The Brothers Grimm

THEME:

Keep Your Promises

One of the messages that this story sends is the importance of keeping your
promises. The princess is reluctant because passing time with a frog does not seem
appealing to her, but the king insists. Her father says, ''That which thou hast
promised must thou perform.''
The girl is begrudgingly obedient. Evidently father knows best, because if she hadn't
kept her promise, she would never have found her prince. It sends the message to
the reader that good things happen when you keep your word.

Don't Give Up
Another theme is that of not giving up. After the frog retrieves the princess' golden
ball, she runs away. He asks her to slow down, but she doesn't. The frog doesn't
reach the castle until the next day. He knocks on the door and cries, ''Youngest
King's daughter, open to me! By the well water what promised you me? Youngest
King's daughter now open to me!'' Others may have given up when the princess ran
away, but the persistent frog makes his way to the castle.
After the princess throws him against the wall and turns the frog into a prince, the
prince explains that ''a wicked witch had bound him by her spells, and how no one
but she alone could have released him.''

THE UGLY DUCKLING

On a farm long ago, a Mama Duck sat on her nest. “How long must I wait for my
babies to hatch?” she said. “I have to sit here all alone! And no one comes to
visit me.” But what could she do? A Mama duck must keep her eggs warm till
they hatch. At last, the eggs began to crack. One by one, yellow ducklings
stepped out of their shells. They shook their wings and said, “Quack, quack!”

“Look at all of you!” said Mama Duck with joy. “You are all so cute!”

“Quack, quack!” they said.

Mama Duck said, “Come and line up. We will go down to the lake for your very
first swim.” She counted – one, two, three, four, five. “Oh dear!” she said. “I
should have six ducklings!” But one large egg was still in the nest. “Well,” said
Mama Duck, “it looks like that big egg will take more time.” So she had to go sit
on her nest again and wait some more. The next day, the big egg started to hatch.
Out came a baby boy bird. But if one may say so, it was an odd-looking thing.
This bird was much bigger than others. He was not yellow at all – he was dark-
gray from his head to his feet. And he walked with a funny wobble.

One of the yellow ducklings pointed. “What is THAT? He cannot be one of us!”

“Woof! Woof!” Suddenly a big hungry dog came tearing by, chasing the two
ducks. They quickly flew up in the air, and their feathers fell down on the ground.
The poor Ugly Duckling froze in fear. The dog sniffed and sniffed at the Ugly
Duckling, then turned away. “I am too ugly even for the big hungry dog to want,”
said the Ugly Duckling with his head hung low. The sky turned dark. Crack! A
bolt of lightning. Then came a big storm, with heavy rains pouring down from the
sky. In just moments, the Ugly Duckling was soaked through and through. Then
a cold wind started to blow. “Brrr!” he said with both wings held close to his
chest. “If only there was a place I could get dry.” All at once, a tiny light blinked
far off in the woods. “Could it be someone’s hut?” He flew to the door.
“Quack?” said the Ugly Duckling. The door of the hut creaked open. “What is all
this noise?” said an old woman, looking right and left. Her eyes were not that
good. Then she looked down. “Ah, look at that, it’s a duck!” She picked up the
Ugly Duckling and dropped him inside her hut. “You can stay here, but only if you
lay eggs,” she said. A tomcat and hen crept up to the Ugly Duckling. “Who do
you think you are, coming in here and taking up room by the fire!” said the
tomcat. “Squawk!” said the hen. “I do not need anyone else in this hut laying
eggs.” “Do not worry about that,” said the Ugly Duckling. “I am a boy duck.”
“Then why are you still here?” said the tomcat. “Did you not hear what the old
woman said?” “Get out of here, pretender!” clucked the hen. “Get out! Get
out!“ hissed the tomcat. The door was still a bit open, so our poor Ugly Duckling
slipped out the door, and back into the storm. “No one ever wants me,” said the
Ugly Duckling with a tear in his eye. The storm ended. Soon he found a new
lake. Looking into the water, the Ugly Duckling saw the reflection of a flock of
large white birds flying. He looked overhead and could not believe what he saw.
There, above him, were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen! Their long
white bodies and slender necks seemed to just glide through the sky. He watched
until the very last bird had winged its way out of view. “I have never seen such
an ugly duckling!” said another. , “How can you say such a thing?” said Mama
Duck in a stern voice. “You are only one day old! Your brother hatched from the
very same nest as you did. Now line up. We will go to the lake for your very first
swim.” Yet the other ducklings quacked, “Ugly! Ugly! Ugly!” The Ugly Duckling
did not know why the other ducklings were yelling at him. He took the last spot in
the line.

Each yellow duck jumped in the river and swam behind Mama Duck. When it was
his turn, the Ugly Duckling jumped in and started to paddle, too. “At least he can
swim,” Mama Duck said to herself. When they left the water and started to play,
the Ugly Duckling tried to play with his brothers and sisters, too. They yelled,
“Go away! We will not play with you! You are ugly. And you walk weird, too!”

When Mama Duck was close by, she would not let them talk in this way. “Be
nice!” she would scold. But she was not always close by. One day, one of the
yellow ducklings said to the Ugly Duckling, “You know what? You would do us a
big favor if you just went away from here!” All of them started to quack, “Get out!
Get out! Get out!” “Why won’t they let me stay here?” said the Ugly Duckling to
himself. He hung his head down low. “Ah, they are right. I should go.” That night,
the Ugly Duckling flew over the farmyard fence. He flew till he landed on the
other side of the lake. There he met two grown-up ducks. “Can I please stay here
for awhile?” said the Ugly Duckling. “I have nowhere else to be.” “What do we
care?” said one of the ducks. “Just don’t get in our way.”

“Woof! Woof!”  Suddenly a big hungry dog came tearing by, chasing the two
ducks.  They quickly flew up in the air, and their feathers fell down on the
ground.  The poor Ugly Duckling froze in fear. The dog sniffed and sniffed at
the Ugly Duckling, then turned away.  “I am too ugly even for the big hungry
dog to want,” said the Ugly Duckling with his head hung low.
The sky turned dark.  Crack!  A bolt of lightning.  Then came a big storm, with heavy rains
pouring down from the sky.  In just moments, the Ugly Duckling was soaked through and
through. Then a cold wind started to blow.
“Brrr!” he said with both wings held close to his chest.  “If only there was a
place I could get dry.”
All at once, a tiny light blinked far off in the woods.  “Could it be someone’s
hut?”
He flew to the door.  “Quack?” said the Ugly Duckling.  The door of the hut
creaked open.
“What is all this noise?” said an old woman, looking right and left.  Her eyes
were not that good. Then she looked down. “Ah, look at that, it’s a duck!”
She picked up the Ugly Duckling and dropped him inside her hut. “You can
stay here, but only if you lay eggs,” she said.
A tomcat and hen crept up to the Ugly Duckling.  “Who do you think you
are, coming in here and taking up room by the fire!” said the tomcat.  
“Squawk!” said the hen.  “I do not need anyone else in this hut laying eggs.”
“Do not worry about that,” said the Ugly Duckling.  “I am a boy duck.”
“Then why are you still here?” said the tomcat.  “Did you not hear what the
old woman said?”
“Get out of here, pretender!” clucked the hen.  
“Get out!  Get out!“ hissed the tomcat.
The door was still a bit open, so our poor Ugly Duckling slipped out the
door, and back into the storm.
“No one ever wants me,” said the Ugly Duckling with a tear in his eye.  
The storm ended.  Soon he found a new lake.  Looking into the water, the
Ugly Duckling saw the reflection of a flock of large white birds flying.  He
looked overhead and could not believe what he saw. There, above him, were
the most beautiful birds he had ever seen!  Their long white bodies and
slender necks seemed to just glide through the sky. He watched until the
very last bird had winged its way out of view.  

He stayed at that lake all by himself, and time passed.  The leaves of the
trees turned deep red and gold, and then the leaves fell to the ground.
Winter came, setting a blanket of white snow all over. The cold wind and
the dark clouds made the Ugly Duckling feel even more sad.
He had to go into the cold, cold lake to fish, but it was getting harder to
swim.  The lake was turning to ice. One day, it was all he could do was to
paddle the water to keep it from freezing around him, and trapping him in
the lake.
“I am so tired!” he said, paddling with all his might.  The ice got thicker and
drew closer to him.
In a moment, two giant hands swept him up.  “You poor thing!” said a
farmer. He held the Ugly Duckling close to his thick wool jacket and took
the bird to his home.  
Never was a warm fireplace more welcome!  For the rest of the winter, the
farmer cared for the Ugly Duckling.  Then spring came. Tips of green
covered the trees. Short, bright flowers popped up from the ground.  
“It is time for you to go to the lake to swim again, as you were born to do,”
said the farmer.  He took the duckling back to the lake where he had found
him, and set him with care on the water.
“Gosh, I feel strong,” said the young bird, flapping his wings.  “Why, I never
felt as strong as I do right now!”
He heard quiet splashing sounds behind him, and turned around.  A flock of
those same beautiful birds he had seen in the sky before landed behind him
on the water.
“Do not worry!” he said to them, holding out one wing.  “I will go now. I will
not make trouble for you.” A big fat tear rolled down his cheek.  He turned
to go away. When he opened his eyes, he saw a reflection in the water of one
of those beautiful white birds.  Why was it so close to him? He jumped back.
And the reflection jumped back, too.

“What is this?” he said.  He stretched his neck, and the reflection of the
beautiful bird stretched its neck, too.
“Why are you going so soon?” said one of the beautiful birds.  
“Stay here, with us!” said another.  “We’ll be great friends.”
Then, the bird who used to be the Ugly Duckling knew what had happened!
He was no longer an ugly gray bird that wobbled when it walked. 
At one moment, all the swans flapped their wings and took off into the sky.
“Come with us,” one called back. “Take the lead!” So he flapped his wings
fast and took his place in front of the whole flock.  All his new friends
flapped their wings behind him.
“Say!” he said, gliding and dipping through the sky as he sped on.  “Who’s
an ugly duckling now? Surely, Not I!”
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
Once upon a time there lived a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was
ever seen. Her mother had a little red riding hood made for her. Everybody
called her Little Red Riding Hood.
One day her mother said to her: “Go my dear, and see how your grandmother is
doing, for I hear she has been very ill.”
Little Red Riding Hood set out immediately.
As she was going through the wood, she met with a wolf. He asked her where
she was going.
“I am going to see my grandmother.”
“Does she live far off?” said the wolf.
“It is beyond that mill you see there”.
It was not long before the wolf arrived at the old woman’s house. He knocked at
the door.
Tap, tap, tap.
“Who’s there?”
“Your grandchild, Little Red Riding Hood,” replied the wolf, faking her voice.
The good grandmother called out, “Pull the string, and the latch will go up.”
The wolf pulled the string and the door opened, and then he immediately fell
upon the good woman and ate her up in a moment.
He then shut the door and got into the grandmother’s bed, expecting Little Red
Riding Hood, who came some time afterwards and knocked at the door.
Tap, tap, tap.
“Who’s there?”
“It is your grandchild, Little Red Riding Hood.”
The wolf cried out, “Pull the string, and the latch will go up.”
Little Red Riding Hood pulled the string, and the door opened.
“Grandmother, what big arms you have!”
“All the better to hug you with, my dear.”
“Grandmother, what big ears you have!”
“All the better to hear you with, my child.”
“Grandmother, what big eyes you have!”
“All the better to see you with, my child.”
“Grandmother, what big teeth you have got!”
“All the better to eat you up with.”
Fortunately, a hunter was passing near by the hut. He heard the wolf, and
recognised him right away. He ran over to the window. He took a good aim,
and that was the end of the wolf.
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

BY: CHARLES PERRAULT

“Little Red Riding Hood” is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a Big
Bad Wolf. Its origins can be traced back to the 17 th century to several European
folk tales, including one from Italy called The False Grandmother. The two best
known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm.

The story has been changed considerably in various retellings and subjected to
numerous modern adaptations and readings. Other names for the story are:
“Little Red Cap” or simply “Red Riding Hood”. It is number 333 in the Aarne–
Thompson classification system for folktales.

MORAL LESSON:

The moral to the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" is that children must
obey their parents and that they must never talk to strangers. Even a
very friendly stranger is capable of having bad intentions.

The Moral of Little Red Riding Hood is that you must never trust strangers.
Even a very friendly stranger may have very bad intentions. Little Red Riding
Hood finds herself in danger because she talks to the wolf and naively points
out the direction of her grandmother’s house.
THE FROG PRINCE

Once upon a time there was a Princess.  Many a suitor came to the
palace to win her hand in marriage, but it seemed to the Princess that
each one of them looked at her without really seeing her at all.  
“They act like there’s nothing more to a princess than her fine crown
and royal dresses,” she said to herself with a frown.
One afternoon after one of these visits, the Princess thought,
“Sometimes I wish I were little again.” She found her favorite ball from
childhood, the one that sparkled when she threw it up high to the sun.
She took the ball to the palace yard and threw it higher and higher.
One time she threw it extra high and when she ran to catch the ball,
she tripped on a tree stump. The ball fell and plopped right down into
the royal well!  She raced over to fetch her ball before it dropped too
far, but by the time she got there she could no longer see it in the
water.
 

The ball fell and plopped down into the royal well!
 

“Oh no!” she moaned, “This is terrible!”  Just then a small green frog
poked its head above the water.  

“Maybe I can help you,” said the Frog.

“Yes,” said the Princess. “Please get my ball!”
“No problem,” said the Frog.  “But first there’s something I must ask of
you.”
“What do you mean?” said the Princess.
“It’s for you to spend time with me today,” said the Frog.
“I’m not sure I know what that means,” said the Princess.
“Just spend time with me today,” repeated the Frog.
“All right then, fine!” said the Princess.  “Now please, get my ball!”
“I’m on it,” said the Frog.  He dived deep into the well. A few moments
later, up he came with the ball held high in one hand.
“Thank you,” said the Princess, taking it from him.  

She turned to go.

“Wait a minute!” said the Frog.  “You promised to spend time with me
today!”
“I already did,” she said with a shrug.  And the Princess walked back to
the palace.
 

That night at dinner with her family and the royal advisers, there was a
knock on the door.  The servant opened the door and saw no one
there. The Frog, standing down low, cleared his throat. “The Princess
promised to spend time with me today,” said the Frog in as loud a
voice as he could.  “So here I am.”
 

That night at dinner with her family and the royal

advisers, there was a knock on the door.
 

“Daughter!” said the King from the far end of the table.  “Did you
promise to spend time with this Frog, as he claims?”
“Sort of,” said the Princess.  After a pause, she added, “Oh very well,
come on in.”
The servants quickly set a new place setting for the Frog, and he
hopped over to the royal dining table.
 
 

Conversation turned to a topic of concern in the kingdom.  None of the

royal advisers knew what to do.
“Father, if I may,” said the Princess.  “Perhaps we could–“
“Stop!” said the King, cutting her off.  “I have enough advisors, believe
me.”
“If I may,” said the Frog, and it was the first time he had spoken at the
table.  “There’s more to a princess than her fine crown and royal
dresses.”
The Princess stared at the Frog. How could this little frog – more than
anyone else – understand such a thing?
 

“If I may,” said the Frog, and it was the first time he
has spoken at the table.
 

After dinner, the Frog bowed to the Princess.  He said, “You have done
what you said you would do.  I suppose it’s time now for me to go.”
“No wait!” said the Princess, “it’s not that late.  How about a walk in
the garden?”
The Frog was delighted.  The two of them walked in the royal garden,
the Frog hopping along the stone wall so he and the Princess were at
the same level and could talk easily.

 They laughed about many things. Later, when the sun set, they
admired the deep rosy reds it cast in the sky.
The Princess said, “You know, being with you tonight was a lot more
fun than I thought.”
Thanks to Dariya, 10, Bulgaria
 

“I had a very good time, too,” said the Frog.

“Who knew?” said the Princess with a laugh. She leaned over and
kissed the Frog lightly on his cheek.

 
At once, there was a puff of clouds and smoke.  The small green frog
had changed into a young prince!  The Princess jumped back in
surprise, and who could blame her?  The Prince quickly told her not to
worry, that all was well. Years before, an evil witch had put a spell on
him that he must stay a frog until he was kissed by a princess.  The
witch had laughed an evil laugh, saying, “Like THAT will ever
happen!” But it did!
Now the Prince and Princess could get to know each other better.
Years later, after they were married, they had a beautiful setting made
for the ball and placed it on their royal dining table.  And when the
sunlight shone in through the palace windows, the ball sparkled for all
to see.
 The Elves and the Shoemaker
 Shoemaker
By: Brothers Grimm

A shoemaker and his wife have magical

assistance from some elves every evening when
they go to bed.
There was once a shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very
honest: but still he could not earn enough to live upon; and at last all
he had in the world was gone, save just leather enough to make one
pair of shoes.

Then he cut his leather out, all ready to make up the next day, meaning
to rise early in the morning to his work. His conscience was clear and
his heart light amidst all his troubles; so he went peaceably to bed, left
all his cares to Heaven, and soon fell asleep. In the morning after he
had said his prayers, he sat himself down to his work; when, to his
great wonder, there stood the shoes all ready made, upon the table.
The good man knew not what to say or think at such an odd thing
happening. He looked at the workmanship; there was not one false
stitch in the whole job; all was so neat and true, that it was quite a
masterpiece.

The same day a customer came in, and the shoes suited him so well
that he willingly paid a price higher than usual for them; and the poor
shoemaker, with the money, bought leather enough to make two pairs
more. In the evening he cut out the work, and went to bed early, that
he might get up and begin betimes next day; but he was saved all the
trouble, for when he got up in the morning the work was done ready
to his hand. Soon in came buyers, who paid him handsomely for his
goods, so that he bought leather enough for four pair more. He cut out
the work again overnight and found it done in the morning, as before;
and so it went on for some time: what was got ready in the evening
was always done by daybreak, and the good man soon became thriving
and well off again.

One evening, about Christmas-time, as he and his wife were sitting

over the fire chatting together, he said to her, ‘I should like to sit up
and watch tonight, that we may see who it is that comes and does my
work for me.’ The wife liked the thought; so they left a light burning,
and hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind a curtain that was
hung up there, and watched what would happen.
As soon as it was midnight, there came in two little naked dwarfs; and
they sat themselves upon the shoemaker’s bench, took up all the work
that was cut out, and began to ply with their little fingers, stitching and
rapping and tapping away at such a rate, that the shoemaker was all
wonder, and could not take his eyes off them. And on they went, till
the job was quite done, and the shoes stood ready for use upon the
table. This was long before daybreak; and then they bustled away as
quick as lightning.

The next day the wife said to the shoemaker. ‘These little wights have
made us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do them a
good turn if we can. I am quite sorry to see them run about as they do;
and indeed it is not very decent, for they have nothing upon their
backs to keep off the cold. I’ll tell you what, I will make each of them a
shirt, and a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of pantaloons into the
bargain; and do you make each of them a little pair of shoes.’

The thought pleased the good cobbler very much; and one evening,
when all the things were ready, they laid them on the table, instead of
the work that they used to cut out, and then went and hid themselves,
to watch what the little elves would do.

About midnight in they came, dancing and skipping, hopped round the
room, and then went to sit down to their work as usual; but when they
saw the clothes lying for them, they laughed and chuckled, and seemed
mightily delighted.

Then they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye, and danced

and capered and sprang about, as merry as could be; till at last they
danced out at the door, and away over the green.

The good couple saw them no more; but everything went well with
them from that time forward, as long as they lived.
The elves and the shoemaker moral lesson:
This Story tell us Be Thankful and Grateful. We must try hard to make things
better. We must be thankful for all the help we received from others. We must
also try to help others if they need it.
Introduction to Poetry
BY BILLY COLLINS
I ask them to take a poem
And hold it up to the light
 Like a color slide

Or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

And watch him probe his way out,

Or walk inside the poem’s room

And feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski

Across the surface of a poem
Waving at the author’s name on the shore.

But all they want to do

Is tie the poem to a chair with rope
And torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose

To find out what it really means.

POEM ABOUT YOUR LAUGH

Susan Glickman
When you laugh it is all the unsynchronized clocks
 In the watchmaker’s shop
Striking their dissident hours.
It is six blind kittens having the nipples plucked
From their mouths.
It is the ecstatic susurrus of prayer wheels.

When you laugh innumerable

Pine trees shed their needles at once on one side
Of the forest, indefinably altering the ecosystem.
A thousand miles away
Two sharks lose their taste for blood,
Mate, start a new species.

When you laugh your mouth

Is the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky
And I can curl up there among the bats
Intercepting their sonar.
Oh, your mouth is a diver’s bell;
It takes me down untold fathoms.

And when you laugh, old dogs limp

To new patches of sunlight
Which they bury for later, knowing something
About need.
FRIENDLY ADVICE TO A LOT OF YOUNG MEN
By: Charles Bukowski
Go to Tibet
Ride a camel.
 Read the bible.
Dye your shoes blue.
Grow a beard.
Circle the world in a paper canoe.
Subscribe to The Saturday Evening Post.
Chew on the left side of your mouth only.
Marry a woman with one leg and shave with a straight razor.
And carve your name in her arm.

Brush your teeth with gasoline.

Sleep all day and climb trees at night.
Be a monk and drink buckshot and beer.
Hold your head under water and play the violin.
Do a belly dance before pink candles.
Kill your dog.
Run for mayor.
Live in a barrel.
Break your head with a hatchet.
Plant tulips in the rain.

But don’t write poetry.

A Boat
BY  RICHARD BRAUTIGAN
O beautiful

was the werewolf

 in his evil forest.

We took him

to the carnival

and he started

crying

when he saw

the Ferris wheel.

Electric

green and red tears

flowed down

his furry cheeks.

He looked

like a boat

out on the dark

water.

A Martian Sends a Postcard Home

Craig Raine, 1979

Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings

And some are treasured for their markings—

They cause the eyes to melt

Or the body to shriek without pain.

I have never seen one fly, but

Sometimes they perch on the hand.

Mist is when the sky is tired of flight

And rests its soft machine on the ground:

Then the world is dim and bookish

Like engravings under tissue paper.

Rain is when the earth is television.

It has the properites of making colours darker.

Model T is a room with the lock inside –

A key is turned to free the world

For movement, so quick there is a film

To watch for anything missed.

 But time is tied to the wrist

Or kept in a box, ticking with impatience.

In homes, a haunted apparatus sleeps,

That snores when you pick it up.

If the ghost cries, they carry it

To their lips and soothe it to sleep

With sounds. And yet, they wake it up

Deliberately, by tickling with a finger.

Only the young are allowed to suffer

Openly. Adults go to a punishment room

With water but nothing to eat.

They lock the door and suffer the noises

Alone. No one is exempt

And everyone’s pain has a different smell.

At night, when all the colours die,

They hide in pairs

 And read about themselves –

In colour, with their eyelids shut.

A Moral Story : A Wise Counting

Emperor Akbar was in the habit of putting riddles and puzzles to his
courtiers. He often asked questions which were strange and witty. It took
much wisdom to answer these questions. Once he asked a very strange
question. The courtiers were dumb folded by his question.
Akbar glanced at his courtiers. As he looked, one by one the heads began
to hang low in search of an answer. It was at this moment that Birbal
entered the courtyard. Birbal who knew the nature of the emperor quickly
grasped the situation and asked, “May I know the question so that I can try
for an answer”.

Akbar said, “How many crows are there in this city?”

Without even a moment’s thought, Birbal replied “There are fifty thousand
five hundred and eighty nine crows, my lord”.

“How can you be so sure?” asked Akbar.

Birbal said, “Make you men count, My lord. If you find more crows it means
some have come to visit their relatives here. If you find less number of
crows it means some have gone to visit their relatives elsewhere”. Akbar
was pleased very much by Birbal’s wit.

MORAL : A witty answer will serve its purpose.

A Moral Story : Honesty is

The Best Policy.

A milkman became very wealthy through dishonest means. He had to cross
a river daily to reach the city where his customers lived. He mixed the water
of the river generously with the milk that he sold for a good profit. One day
he went around collecting the dues in order to celebrate the wedding of his
son. With the large amount thus collected he purchased plenty of rich
clothes and glittering gold ornaments. But while crossing the river the boat
capsized and all his costly purchases were swallowed by the river. The milk
vendor was speechless with grief. At that time he heard a voice that came
from the river, “Do not weep. What you have lost is only the illicit gains you
earned through cheating your customers.

MORAL : Honest dealings are always supreme. Money earned by

wrong methods will never remain for ever.

A Moral Story : The Greedy Lion

It was a hot summer day. A lion was feeling very hungry. He came out of
his den and searched here and there. He could find only a small hare. He
caught the hare with some hesitation. “This hare cannot fill my tummy”
thought the lion. As the lion was about to kill the hare, a deer ran that way.
The lion became greedy. He thought, “Instead of eating this small hare, let
me eat the big deer”. He let the hare go and went behind the deer. But the
deer had vanished into the forest. The lion now felt sorry for letting the hare
off.

MORAL : A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

A Little Friend
That was a bad day for our Mr. Lion
King. During his chase to catch a
rabbit he sprang into a small bush from
where he came out not with the rabbit
but with a large thorn in his palm.

He cried for help. He tried his best to pull out the thorn. He shook his hand,
tried to pull out the thorn with his mouth etc. but all his efforts was in vain.
The thorn began to smile at Mr. Lion. Then he asked other animals for help.
But they all feared the lion. So no animals came to help him. At last the lion
approached the clever fox. The king asked, “Can you pull out the thorn
please. I am suffering very much with pain."

The fox said, “I am not very expert in this task. But I have a little friend who
is very expert in this work. I will surely ask him to help you. But I have some
demands." “What are your demands?" asked the king. “It is not just food or
money Your Majesty! You should allow me to give you five kicks on your
back!" the fox said.

The lion king asked with surprise and anger “Do you want to kick me? Don’t
you know who I am?"

“I know! I know! But it is not my need to remove thorn from your palm. If
you don’t want I am going. Good Bye" said the fox.

“Hey! Wait! Wait!" said the lion and he began to think for a moment “I am
suffering with the pain of the thorn. It has to be pulled out. Let him kick me
five times. I just want to remove the thorn. After taking the thorn I will eat up
his little friend."

The fox then began to kick the Lion King with his permission. One, two,
three… like that. The fox called his little friend.

There comes a little porcupine. He pulled out the thorn with great ease. The
pain in the palm of the lion was reduced. But his mind became filled with
anger, grief and disappointment. What to say! He was very much
disappointed in thinking how he can take revenge for the five kicks he got
from the fox. How can he eat the porcupine with thousands of quills? At last
he had to bow down before the great intelligence of the clever fox.