Fairy Tales

Cinderella: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

The Emperor's new clothes: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Goldilocks & the three bears: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Hansel & Gretel: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Jack and the beanstalk: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

The miller, his son and their donkey: . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Snow White: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

The town mouse and the country mouse: . . . . . . . . . . .72

58 FAIIRY TALES

Cinderella

This is the story of a kind and beautiful

girl. She lived with her father and mother.

They were very happy.

Then one day, her mother died. She was

very sad. A year later, her father married

again.

The girl's new stepmother was very

unkind. She had two daughters. They wore

beautiful clothes, but they were not beautiful

or kind. The girl's new stepsisters were very

unkind.

The two stepsisters were jealous of the

beautiful girl. They took the girl's beautiful

clothes and gave her an old dress. "You can

do all the housework now," they said.

The girl washed the floors. She made the

beds and she cooked the meals. In the

evenings, she sat by the fire in the kitchen.

The cinders from the fire made her feet and

dress dirty. And so the stepsisters called her

Cinderella. Cinderella was very unhappy.

One day, a man from the palace came to

the house with an invitation. The invitation

said, "The king and queen are having a party

at the palace on Saturday."

The two stepsisters were very excited."

Can I go to the party ?" asked Cinderella.

"You? You can't go to the party.You don't

have any nice clothes," said the two stepsisters.

And they laughed at her.

"Can you make clothes?" Cinderella's

stepmother asked.

"Yes," said Cinderella.

"Then, you can make three new dresses

for us," said her stepmother. "Now, go and

do the housework." Cinderella went to the

kitchen.

"Girls," the stepmother said, "we need

some material for our new dresses. Let's go

shopping."

On Saturday night, Cinderella was very

busy. Her two stepsisters got dressed for the

party. And she helped them.

"Brush my hair! Find my bag! Clean my

shoes! " they shouted at Cinderella. Finally,

they were ready.

Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters

got in their coach and went to the party.

Cinderella stood on the steps and waved

good bye. Then, she sat down and cried. "I

want to go to the party," she said.

Suddenly, she heard a voice. "Don't cry,

Cinderella." Cinderella looked up and saw a

lovely lady. She had a lovely smile.

"I'm a fairy," said the lady. "And you're a

good girl. You can go to the party."

"But I can't go to the party in this dress,"

said Cinderella.

"I can help you, with my magic wand,"

said the fairy. "Now go and find a big pumpkin,

four white mice and three lizards."

Cinderella ran and found a big pumpkin,

four white mice and three lizards. She gave

them to the fairy. The fairy waved her magic

wand and KAZOOM.

The pumpkin became a beautiful gold

coach.

The white mice became white horses.

And the lizards became handsome men.

"Now," said fairy , "close your eyes."

Cinderella closed her eyes. The fairy waved

her magic wand over Cinderella and

KAZOOM. "Now, open your eyes."

Cinderella opened her eyes and looked at

her dress. It was beautiful. And on her feet

were a pair of pretty glass shoes. "Oh thank

you," she said. " Now, I can go to the party."

"Yes ," said the fairy. "But you must leave

the party before midnight. Because the

magic stops at midnight."

"Yes," said Cinderella. " I understand."

"Now, go and enjoy the party," said the

fairy.

Cinderella got in the gold coach and went

to the palace. She arrived at the party in her

beautiful dress. Everybody looked at her.

"She's very beautiful. Look at her beautiful

dress! Who is she?" they asked.

The prince saw Cinderella and he

thought, She is the most beautiful girl in the

world.

"Do you want to dance?" the prince asked.

" Yes," said Cinderella.

FAIIRY TALES 59

The prince danced with Cinderella all

night. Her two stepsisters were very jealous."

Who is she" they asked.

Cinderella and the prince danced and

danced. And all the ladies were very jealous.

Suddenly, Cinderella looked at the clock.

It was one minute to twelve." I must go," she

said and she ran out of the room.

" Wait!" said the prince. "Come back. I

don't know your name." Cinderella didn't

wait. She ran down the stairs. And she left a

glass shoe on the stairs.

Outside, Cinderella looked for her gold

coach. It wasn't there. There was a pumpkin,

four white mice and three lizards ran away.

She looked at her dress. It was the dirty

old dress again.

Quickly, Cinderella ran home.

The prince found the glass shoe. " This is

her shoe ," said the prince. "I must find her.

I want to marry her."

The prince went to every house in the

country. And he asked every girl," Is this

your shoe?" But all their feet were too big.

Finally, he came to Cinderella's house.

Cinderella was in the kitchen. Her stepmother

opened the door. "Come in, Your

Highness," she said. She took the prince into

the living room, then she went and got her

two daughters. The two girls were very excited.

First, the oldest girl took the shoe." Look!

It's my shoe," she said and walked around

the room in the glass shoe. But her foot was

too big.

"Give me the shoe," said the prince. " It's

not your shoe."

Then the youngest sister took the shoe."

Look!" she said." It's my shoe. I'm going to

marry the prince . I'm going to be a

princess."

But, her foot was too big.

"Give me the shoe," said the prince. "It's

not your shoe." Then the prince asked, " Are

there any other girls here?"

"No," said the stepmother and the two sisters.

At that moment, Cinderella came into the

room. She wanted to clean the room. She

didn't know the prince was there.

Cinderella looked at the prince." I'm

sorry," she said and ran out of the room.

"Who is that girl? Bring her here," said the

prince. "May be, it's her shoe."

"It can't be her shoe." said step mother.

"I must ask every girl in the country.

Please, bring her here now," said the prince.

The stepmother went and found

Cinderella. Cinderella put on the glass shoe.

It was her shoe.

The two stepsisters and the stepmother

were angry. But the prince was very happy.

He took Cinderella's hand and said,"You are

the girl I danced with. And you are the girl I

love. Will you marry me? "

"Yes," said Cinderella.

Cinderella married the prince and they

lived together happily.

􀂄

60 FAIIRY TALES

THE EMPEROR'S NEW

CLOTHES

This is the story of a very vain emperor.

He didn't think about his country or his

people. He only thought about clothes.

The emperor loved clothes. He always

bought the finest and most expensive

clothes. And he always wore the latest fashions.

Every week, he bought some new

clothes. In fact, he spent all his money on

clothes.

One day, two men decided to trick the

emperor. They were called Victor and Hugo.

Victor and Hugo knew the emperor loved

clothes and they wanted to make lots of

money. So they made a plan.

"Let's tell the emperor that we are famous

tailors," said Victor.

"Yes. And let's tell him, we can make him

some beautiful new clothes, "said Hugo.

"The most beautiful clothes in the world,"

said Victor.

The next day, the two men went to the

palace to meet the emperor. "Your majesty,"

said Victor, "we are famous tailors. And we

want to make some beautiful new clothes for

you."

"Yes," said Hugo. "We want to make you a

very special suit. We will use a magic material

that only very clever people will be able

to see."

"We know you are a very clever man. So

we know that you will love this material,"

said Victor.

"So," said the emperor, "stupid men won't

be able to see this magic material?"

"That is correct," said Victor.

The emperor believed the two men.

"Excellent," he said. "What do you need?"

"We need some gold thread and some silver

thread," Hugo replied. "And we need

some money, of course,"

The emperor gave the two men two bags

of gold coins, some gold thread and some

silver thread.

The emperor was very excited. "When can

you start?" he asked.

"We can start tomorrow," Victor replied.

That afternoon, the two men began to

make the material for the emperor's new

clothes. Clack... Whirr.... Clack ... Whirr.

They worked all afternoon and all evening.

Then, late at night, when everybody was

asleep, Hugo carried the bags of gold and the

bags of thread out of the palace. He took

them to a safe place and hid them.

The next day, the emperor began to tell

everybody about the magic material. Soon

everybody in the palace knew about it. And,

they told their friends outside the palace.

And soon everybody in the country knew

about the magic material.

"Only clever people will be able to see this

magic material. Stupid people won't be able

to see it," they told their friends and neighbors.

All week, the emperor waited to see the

material. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... .

He counted the days. He wanted to see the

magic material but he was worried. Maybe, I

won't be able to see it. Then, people will

think I am stupid, the emperor thought, i

can't go and see it.

Then, the emperor had an idea. I won't go

and see the material. I'll send the prime minister.

He's very clever. He'll be able to see it,

he thought.

The prime minister was not worried. I'm a

very clever man. I'll be able to see the material,

he thought. The prime minister walked

into the room. He saw the two tailors but he

couldn't see any material.

Oh no' he thought. I can't see the material.

I must be stupid. Nobody must know that

I'm stupid.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" said Victor.

"Yes, it is. It's very beautiful," said the

prime minister.

The two men smiled and said, "Thank

you." "Do you think the emperor will like it?"

asked Hugo.

"He'll love it," said the prime minister.

Then, the prime minister left the room, and

he went to find the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the material is wonderful.

It's the most beautiful material in the world,"

the prime minister told the emperor.

The emperor was very happy. "Tell the tailors

that I am coming to see it," he said. "And

tell all my ministers to come here immediately.

They must all come and see the material."

All the ministers went to see the material

with the emperor. They all stood and looked

at the loom.

"Where is it?" asked the emperor excitedly.

"Hurry up and show us."

"It's here," said Hugo. "Can't you see it?"

The emperor couldn't see it. The ministers

couldn't see it. Nobody could see it.

"It's very beautiful," said the ministers,

looking at the empty loom.

Oh dear, thought the emperor. Everybody

can see it, But I can't see anything. I must be

stupid. Then the emperor smiled and said,

"It's beautiful. I love it. Tonight, you will

make me a suit. And tomorrow, there will be

a parade through the town, and I will wear

the suit.

The next morning, the suit was ready. The

two tailors took it to the emperor.

"Please, take off your clothes, Your

Majesty," said Victor.

"Now, try on the trousers first," said Hugo.

"Do they fit?" asked Victor.

"Yes," replied the emperor.

"Now, try on the shirt," said Hugo.

"Does it fit?" asked Victor.

"Yes," replied the emperor. "It fits me perfectly."

"Good. Now put on the jacket," said Hugo.

The emperor looked in the mirror. He

looked very hard but he couldn't see the suit.

He could only see his underwear.

The ministers came in. They were

shocked. The emperor is only wearing his

underwear, they thought.

"Are you ready?" the prime minister asked

the emperor.

"Of course, I'm ready," said the emperor.

Then the emperor gave victor and Hugo two

more bags of gold coins. They thanked him,

and then they quickly left the palace.

The emperor was ready for the parade. All

his people were in the streets. They were

very excited. Everybody wanted to see the

emperor's new clothes.

The emperor walked proudly through the

streets in his underwear.

The people clapped and said, "The emperor

looks very smart. His new clothes are

wonderful. The material is beautiful. It's the

most beautiful material in the world."

Then, suddenly, a boy shouted, "The

emperor isn't wearing any clothes." There

was silence. Then all people began to laugh.

"Ha ... Ha ... Ha .... The emperor isn't

wearing any clothes. Poor man! He's walking

through the streets in his underwear," they

said.

It was true. And the emperor knew it was

true. The boy is right, he thought. I'm not

wearing any clothes. He wanted to run back

to his palace but he couldn't. He was the

emperor. He walked slowly through the town

in his underwear.

I am vain, he thought. And this is my punishment.

Finally, the emperor arrived back at the

palace. He called for his guards. "Find those

tailors and bring them here," he said.

The guards looked for the tailors everywhere

but they couldn't find them.

And that day, the emperor stopped thinking

about clothes. And he began thinking

about his country and his people. He became

a good emperor.

􀂄

FAIIRY TALES 61

62 FAIIRY TALES

Goldilocks & The Three

Bears

This is the story of Goldilocks and the

three bears. Look! Here are the three bears.

Father Bear is big. And Baby Bear is small.

And here is their house. It is in a forest.

The three bears like porridge. Every morning,

Mother Bear makes porridge.

This morning the porridge is very hot.

''Let's go for a walk,'' says Father Bear.

''We can eat the porridge later.''

Here is Goldilocks. Goldilocks is not a good

girl. She is a naughty girl.

Goldilocks is walking in the forest. Look!

She can smell the porridge.

Goldilocks sees a house. And she climbs

through the window.

Now, Goldilocks is in the kitchen. She sees

three bowls of porridge on the table. There is

a very big bowl. There is a big bowl. And

there is a small bowl.

First, Goldilocks tries the very big bowl.

"Ouch! This porridge is too hot," she says.

Next, Goldilocks tries the big bowl. "This

porridge is too cold," she says.

Then, Goldilocks tries the small bowl.

"Mmm! This porridge is nice," she says. And

Goldilocks eats all Baby Bear's porridge.

Next, Goldilocks goes into the living room.

She sees three chairs. First, Goldilocks sits

on the very big chair. "I don't like this chair.

It's too big," she says.

Next, Goldilocks sits on the big chair.

There is a big cushion on the chair. " I don't

like this chair. It's too big," she says.

Then, Goldilocks sits on the small chair. "

I like this chair," she says.

But Baby Bear's chair is not very strong. It

breaks. " Oh dear!" says Goldilocks.

Then, Goldilocks goes into the bedroom.

She sees three beds. First, Goldilocks sits on

the very big bed. "I don't like this bed. It's

too hard," she says.

Next, Goldilocks sits on the big bed. "I

don't like this bed. It's too soft," she says.

Then, Goldilocks sits on the small bed. "I

like this bed," she says. Look! Goldilocks is

asleep now.

The three bears come home. They are

very hungry. They go into the kitchen.

Father Bear looks at his bowl of porridge.

" There isn't much porridge in my bowl," he

says.

Mother Bear looks at her bowl of porridge.

"There isn't much porridge in my bowl," she

says.

Baby Bear looks at his bowl of porridge.

"There's no porridge in my bowl," he says.

FAIIRY TALES 63

Father Bear is very angry. Mother Bear is

angry too. And Baby bear is very upset. "

Let's look in the living room," says Father

Bear.

The three bears go into the living room.

"Look!" says Father Bear. "There is porridge

on my chair."

"Look at my chair!" says Mother Bear. "My

cushion is on the floor."

"Look at my chair!" says Baby Bear. "It's

broken."

Father Bear is very angry. Mother Bear is

angry too. And Baby Bear is very upset. "

Let's look in the bedroom," says Father Bear.

The three bears go into the bedroom.

"Look!" says Father Bear. "There is porridge

on my bed." He is very angry.

"Look at my bed!" says Mother Bear. "It's

untidy." She is angry too.

"Mother, Father look! There's a girl in my

bed," says Baby Bear. He is very upset.

Baby Bear: Wake up!

Father Bear and Mother Bear come and

look at the girl. They are very angry. Father

Bear opens his mouth and growls.

Goldilocks wakes up. And she sees the

three bears.

Goldilocks screams. She jumps out of the

bed. She runs out of the house. And she runs

through the forest and far away.

The three bears never see Goldilocks

again. And Goldilocks is never naughty

again.

􀂄

Hansel & Gretel

In a faraway land, a poor woodcutter

lived with his family. He had two

lovely children. The boy was called

Hansel and the girl was called Gretel.

They lived in a small house near a forest.

They were very happy together.

Then, one day their mother died and

the woodcutter got married again. His

new wife didn't like the two children.

Everyday, the woodcutter went to

work in the forest. The two children

stayed at home with their stepmother.

Their stepmother was very unkind to

them. "Gretel, wash the floors. Hansel,

bring the firewood now," she shouted.

The two children did all the housework.

One day, the woodcutter was ill. He

could not chop wood. He was ill all winter.

The family had no money and there

wasn't enough food.

One night, the nasty stepmother had

a plan. Hansel and Gretel woke up. They

heard their stepmother's plan.

64 FAIIRY TALES

"We don't have enough food. We can't

feed the children any more," she said.

"What can I do? I'm ill. I can't work," said

the woodcutter.

"You must take the children into the forest

and leave them there," said his wife.

"I can't do that. I love them," said the

woodcutter.

"But we don't have enough food," said his

wife. "Take them tomorrow."

The children listened to their nasty stepmother's

plan. Gretel began to cry. Hansel

hugged his sister. "Don't cry, Gretel. I have a

plan too," he said.

That night, when his parents were asleep,

Hansel went into garden. He collected some

small white stones. Then, he went back to

bed.

The next day, Hansel and Gretel went into

the forest with their father. They collected

wood for the fire. The white stones were in

Hansel's pockets. He began to drop the

stones on the path.

The children followed their father far into

the forest. They walked and walked. "You

must be tired" said their father. "Let's stop

here. I'll go and collect some more wood.

Then, we'll go home. You wait for me here."

Hansel and Gretel were very tired. They

sat on the ground and waited for their father.

Soon, they went to sleep. When they woke

up, it was dark.

"I'm frightened," said Gretel. "Father isn't

coming back. It's cold and dark. And we are

lost."

"Don't worry, Gretel," said Hansel.

Hansel pointed to the path. "Look, Gretel.

Look at the white stones. We can follow

them, and we can go home," he said.

"Well Done, Hansel," said Gretel. "We're

not lost. We can go home."

The two children followed the white stones

and they soon arrived home.

Their father was happy to see them. He

hugged them both. Their stepmother was not

happy to see them.

That night, the nasty stepmother said to

her husband, "You must take the children

into the forest again and leave them there."

"I can't do that. I love them," said the

woodcutter.

"But, we don't have enough food," said his

wife. "Take them tomorrow."

Hansel woke up. He heard the plan. He

lay in bed and waited. He heard his father

and stepmother go to bed. He got up and

went to the door. He wanted to collect some

more stones. But he couldn't open the door.

It was locked. So Hansel went back to bed.

In the morning, their stepmother gave

them two slices of bread for breakfast.

Hansel had an idea. He put the bread in his

pocket.

The two children went to the forest with

their father. They followed their father far

into the forest. Hansel broke the bread into

small pieces. He walked behind his father

and his sister, and he dropped the pieces of

bread on the ground. Some birds followed

Hansel. They ate the bread. Hansel didn't see

them.

Hansel, Gretel and their father walked and

walked. "You must be tired, " said their

father. "Let's stop here. I'll go and collect

some wood. Then, we'll go home. You wait

for me here."

This time, the children didn't sleep. Hansel

looked for the pieces of bread. But he couldn't

find them. "Now, we really are lost," said

Gretel. And she began to cry.

"Don't worry," said Hansel. "I'll look after

you."

The children were lost. They walked one

way. Then, they walked another way. But

they couldn't find their house.

FAIIRY TALES 65

Suddenly, they saw a very strange house.

"Wow! Look at that house," said Hansel.

It really was a very strange house. There

were chocolate cookies on the roof. There

were biscuits and nuts on the walls. And it

had a big chocolate door.

"Mmm," said Gretel. "I'm very hungry.

Let's eat some biscuits."

"Okay," said Hansel. "I'm very hungry,

too."

The two children ran up to the house.

Hansel pulled a biscuit off the wall and gave

it to Gretel. Then, he took a piece of chocolate.

Suddenly, the chocolate door opened, and

an ugly old woman came out. "Hello. Who's

eating my house?"

"We're very sorry," said Hansel.

""That's okay. You must be hungry," she

said. "Come inside and have some breakfast."

Hansel and Gretel were very hungry. They

went inside with the old woman. There was a

lot of nice food on the table. There were

cakes, biscuits, apples, and oranges. "Eat all

you can," said the old woman. "I like big

strong children."

The two children ate and ate. The ugly old

woman sat and watched them. This ugly old

woman was a witch. And this witch ate little

boys for dinner.

The witch put Hansel into a cage. She

locked the door of the cage. Then, she locked

the door of the house. She didn't want Gretel

to leave the house.

"You're very thin, little boy. I'm going to

feed you lots of lovely food. Then, you're

going to be fat. And I'm going to eat you for

dinner," the witch said to Hansel.

Then, the witch looked at Gretel. "You're

going to do all my housework," she said.

Everyday, the witch said to Gretel, "Give

Hansel some more food."

Every day for seven days, Gretel gave

Hansel a chicken and chips, cakes, and pies.

On the seventh day, the witch said, "Give me

your arm, Hansel."

Hansel knew that the witch couldn't see

very well. He didn't give his arm. He gave her

a chicken bone. The witch felt the bone. She

was very surprised. "You're very thin. Eat

some more."

On the tenth day, the witch was very

angry. Hansel was still thin. And she was

very hungry.

"I'm going to eat your brother today," she

said to Gretel. " Go and prepare the oven."

Gretel went and prepared the oven. She

made it very hot. Then, she went to the witch

and asked, "Can you come and check the

oven?"

"You stupid girl! You can't do anything

right!" said the witch. The witch went to

check the oven. She opened the oven door

and Gretel pushed her in.

Quickly, Gretel shut the oven door. Then,

she went and unlocked the cage. "Well done,

Gretel, "said Hansel. "Quick, let's go home."

"No," said Gretel. "The witch has some

treasure. She also has a map. Follow me! I'll

show you."

Gretel took Hansel to the witch's bedroom.

They found the treasure and the map.

"Now, we can go home," said Gretel.

Hansel and Gretel took a large box of

treasure with them. They looked at the map

and walked home.

The woodcutter was very happy to see his

children. He hugged them both. "I looked

everywhere for you. But I couldn't find you,"

he said.

"Where's our stepmother? Asked Gretel.

"She was very unkind to you. I told her to

leave," said the woodcutter.

"Hurray! "said Hansel and Gretel. And

they danced around the room. They were

very happy.

Hansel and Gretel told their father about

the biscuit house with the chocolate door.

And they told him about the ugly old witch.

Then, they showed him the treasure.

The woodcutter and his two children were

never hungry again. And they lived together

very happily.

􀂄

66 FAIIRY TALES

Jack and The Beanstalk

Jack is a little boy. He lives with his mother.

They have a small house. And they

have a cow. Her name is Susie. Here is

their house. And here is their cow, Susie.

One day, a giant comes to their house.

The giant takes their money.

Now Jack and his mother are unhappy.

They have no money for food. And Susie has

no milk. They must sell Susie.

Jack takes Susie to the market. He wants

to sell Susie. At the market, Jack meets an

old man. ''Hello,'' says the old man.

''Hello,'' says Jack.

''Are you selling your cow?" asks the old

man.

''Yes,'' says Jack.

''How much is she?'' asks the old man.

''How much money can you give?'' asks

Jack.

''I can give five beans,'' says the old man.

'' Five beans!'' says Jack.

'' Yes,'' says the old man. ''They are magic

beans. You can grow a giant beanstalk with

them.''

Jack is excited. He wants the magic beans.

''Okay,'' says Jack. ''Here's the cow."

Jack gives Susie to the old man. The old

man gives the beans to Jack.

Jack goes home. He shows the beans to

his mother. His mother is very angry. "We

have no money," she says.

''And you sell our cow for these beans?''

She throws the beans out of the window.

That night, Jack and his mother have no

food. Jack is hungry and unhappy. His mother

is hungry and unhappy. They go to bed.

The next morning, Jack gets up. He looks

out of the window. And he sees a giant

beanstalk. ''Wow!'' says Jack. ''It's very tall.

I can't see the top.''

Jack is very excited. He goes into the

garden. He climbs the beanstalk.

Jack climbs and climbs and climbs. Finally

he sees a big castle. It's a giant castle.

In the door of the castle, there is a small

hole. Jack walks through the hole and into

the castle. Inside, he sees a big, tall woman.

She is a giant.

'' He-LLO,'' Jack shouts. '' I'm very hungry.

Please, can I have some breakfast?"

The giant woman looks at Jack.

"Breakfast? You want some breakfast? You

can't have breakfast here,'' she says. "My

husband is here. He eats little boy for

breakfast.''

At that moment, they hear a loud

voice.'' I'M HUNGRY. I WANT MY BREAKFAST.''

'' Quick,'' says the woman. ''Hide in

the cupboard.'' Jack hides in the cupboard.

The big, fat, ugly giant walks into the

room.

'' Yummy, yummy, yummy- oh! I smell a

boy! '' The giant shouts.

'' There is nobody here ,'' says his wife. ''

Sit down and eat your breakfast.'' The big,

fat, ugly giant sits down. He eats his breakfast.

Then, he puts a big bag on the table. In

the bag, there are some gold coins. The giant

counts the gold coins. '' .... one thousand

and twenty, one thousand and twenty one,

one ...... snorr rr rr ........'' The giant is

asleep.

Jack watches the giant from the cupboard.

Those are our gold coins, he thinks. Then, he

carefully opens the cupboard door. He walks

slowly and quietly to the table. He wants to

take the gold coins but .......

Suddenly, the giant wakes up.

'' Yummy, yummy, yummy- oh! I smell a

boy!'' the giant shouts.

Jack runs and jumps into the big pot.

FAIIRY TALES 67

There is soup in the pot. Jack hides in the

pot and waits.

The giant's wife comes into the room. She

is carrying a hen.

"There is no boy in the castle,'' she says to

her husband. Then, she puts the hen on the

floor.'' Look! Here's your favourite hen.''

The big, fat, ugly giant and his wife watch

the hen. Jack watches the hen. Look! There

is an egg. It is a golden egg. The giant is

happy.

"Please, bring my golden harp,'' he says.

His wife brings the golden harp. The

golden harp plays. It plays a beautiful

tune.

"I'm hungry," shouts the giant. ''I

want some soup.'' His wife brings the

big pot to the table . She gives the giant

some soup. Splash! Jack falls into the

giant's bowl.

The giant sees Jack.

'' Yummy, yummy, yummy - oh! I smell

a boy!'' the giant shouts.

The giant reaches for Jack. Jack jumps off

the table and onto the hen's back. First, Jack

takes the golden harp. Next, he takes the

bag of gold coins. Then, the hen runs across

the floor with Jack.

''Ha-ha,'' laughs Jack. '' You can't catch

me.'' The hen is very frightened. It runs very

fast. The giant cannot catch the hen.

The giant is very angry. He runs after

Jack and the hen. They run out of the castle.

They run across the clouds. Finally, they

come to the beanstalk.

Jack throws the bag of gold coins. It falls

down and down and down into Jack's garden.

The big, fat, ugly giant is coming. Quickly,

Jack puts the golden harp onto the hen's

back. Then, Jack takes the hen by the legs.

Quickly, Jack climbs down the beanstalk.

The giant is behind him. They climb down

and down and down.

''Mother! Mother!'' Jack shouts. '' Bring

the axe. Bring the axe.''

Jack's mother brings the axe. Jack jumps

to the ground. Quickly, he takes the axe.

Jack chops the beanstalk.

Crash! The beanstalk falls to the ground.''

Help!'' shouts the giant. Crash! The big, ugly

giant falls to the ground.

'' Hurray.'' Shouts Jack. '' The giant is

dead.''

Now, Jack and his mother are happy.

Every day, there is another golden egg. And

every day, people come and listen to the

golden harp.

Jack and his mother give food and money

to their friends and neighbours. Nobody in

their village is hungry now. And everybody is

happy.

􀂄

68 FAIIRY TALES

THE MILLER, HIS SON AND

THEIR DONKEY

This is the story of old John the miller, his

son and their donkey. John the miller

lived with his family in a cottage near a

forest.

In winter, life was difficult for the miller

and his family. He couldn't work very much,

so he didn't have much money. And his family

were cold and hungry.

When spring finally came, the family was

happier. However, the miller had no money to

buy food for his family. And they were still

hungry.

One day, the family sat down for lunch.

"What's for lunch, Mum?" asked the miller's

son, Jack.

"It's potato soup again," replied his mother.

Isn't there anything else to eat?"

"No, there isn't. I'm sorry," she said. And

they ate lunch in silence.

Later that day, the miller and his wife sat

and talked. "We don't have any food," said

the miller' wife. "What are we going to do?"

"I'll sell the donkey," said the miller. "Then

we'll have enough money to buy some food."

"That's a good idea," said the miller's wife.

"I'll take it to the market and sell it," said

the miller.

Old John decided to take the donkey to

the market the next day. So, he and his son,

Jack, got up early the next morning and

began to walk to the town with the donkey.

"It's a lovely day for a walk," the miller

said to his son.

"Yes, Father, it is".

The old miller and his son were happy.

"This afternoon, we'll have enough

money to buy some food," said

the miller.

"Can we buy some fruit at the

market? Asked Jack.

"Yes, of course," his father

replied.

The miller and his son walked

along happily. Soon, they met

three girls. When the three girls

saw the old miller and his son,

they began to laugh and whisper

to each other.

"Look at those two!" they are

walking with their donkey. How

silly!" they whispered.

"What's the matter? Why are

you laughing? Asked the miller.

"Because it's a hot day and you're walking

with your donkey. Why don't you ride it?"

Old John thought about it for a moment

and then said, "You're right. It's stupid. Get

on the donkey, Jack."

So Jack got on the donkey, and then they

continued on their journey.

A little later, a group of men walked

towards them. "Young people today have no

respect for old people," said one of the men.

"You are right," said another.

"That's not true," said a third. Then, the

men saw Jack, the miller and the donkey.

They stopped talking and looked at Jack sitting

on the donkey.

"Look at him," said one of the men. "I told

you, didn't I? Young people have no respect

for old people these days. That young boy is

sitting comfortably on the donkey and the old

man is walking."

"Yes, "said another. "Young people are

very selfish these days." Then, he said to

Jack, "Get down from that donkey and let

your poor old father ride it. He must be very

tired."

Old John looked at Jack. "Perhaps they're

right," he said. "Let me ride the donkey for a

while."

So Jack got off the donkey and his father

got on it. Then, they continued on their journey.

A little further along the road, they met a

group of women. One of the women stopped

and stood in the middle of the road, "You lazy

old man," she cried. "You're sitting comfortably

on the donkey and that poor boy is

walking. Look at him! He's tired. He can't

walk as fast as the donkey."

"She's right, look at the poor boy," said

another.

FAIIRY TALES 69

The kind old miller was upset. He did not

want people to think that he was selfish. So,

he said to his son, "Jack, sit behind me. We

will both ride the donkey."

So Jack got on the donkey and they continued

on their journey to the market.

The donkey walked very slowly towards

the town. It was midday and they were nearly

there. The miller was pleased. "The market

is very busy at lunch time. We'll sell the

donkey for a god price," he said.

Then, they met a shepherd with his sheep.

"Excuse me," said the shepherd. "Is that

your donkey?"

"Yes, it is," said the miller.

"It can't be yours, "said the shepherd.

"Why?" asked the miller.

"Because you're being very cruel to the

poor animal. Do you want to kill it?

"What do you mean? Asked the miller.

"It's a very hot day and you're too heavy

for the donkey," the shepherd replied. "The

poor animal is very tired."

The old miller was very upset. He did not

want people to think that he was cruel to the

donkey. The miller looked at his donkey. It

looked very tired and hot. Oh dear, he

thought. I can't sell the donkey if it isn't

healthy. We must carry it.

"Very well," said the miller. "We will carry

the donkey." So the miller and his son got off

the donkey and said goodbye to the shepherd.

And the shepherd continued on his

journey.

Old John tied donkey's legs together.

Then, he tied the donkey's legs to a pole. The

miller and his son lifted the pole onto their

shoulders and carried the donkey to the

town. The donkey was very heavy and it was

not an easy journey.

Finally, the miller and his son arrived at

the town. It was busy and the streets were

full of people. Everybody came to the town

on market day. The miller and his son walked

through the streets, carrying the donkey.

They were very hot and tired but they didn't

stop for a rest. They wanted to get to the

market square as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, somebody shouted, "Look!

There are two people carrying a donkey."

Everybody ran to see this strange sight

and people began to laugh at the miller and

his son. Slowly, they carried the donkey

through the streets of the town towards the

market square. Everybody watched them

and clapped loudly.

Soon, they came to a bridge. They had to

walk across the bridge to the market square.

A crowd of people followed them onto the

bridge. They laughed and shouted. "Be careful.

Don't drop the donkey."

The donkey was very frightened. It didn't

like the noise and it didn't like the crowd of

people. The donkey started to kick. It kicked

so hard that it fell off the pole.

Everybody stopped laughing. "Look!" they

shouted. "The donkey is going to fall in the

river."

The donkey fell in the river and the old

miller was very upset. "Come on, Jack. Let's

go home. We don't have anything to sell here

now," he said.

So the old miller and his son, Jack walked

slowly home. I was very stupid today,

thought the miller. Now, I have no donkey

and no money from the sale. And he was

very angry with himself.

I was very stupid today. "I tried to please

everyone," the miller said to his son. "And if

you try to please everyone, you don't please

anyone at all."

􀂄

70 FAIIRY TALES

Snow White

In a faraway land, there was a king and

queen. They had a beautiful baby girl.

She had beautiful black hair and snowwhite

skin. So the queen called her Snow

White. She loved her daughter very much.

Then one day, the queen died. Snow

White was two years old.

The king married again. His new wife was

beautiful, but she was also very cruel.

The new queen had a magic mirror. Every

day, she stood in front of the mirror and

asked:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who is the most beautiful of all ? "

The mirror always answered:

"You, my queen.

"you are the most beautiful of all."

Every year, Snow white became more

beautiful. She was also kind and good.

Everybody in palace loved her.

The queen was not interested in snow

white. Because Snow White was not her

daughter. Then, one day, the queen asked

the mirror :

" Mirror, mirror, on the wall.

Who is the most beautiful of all ?"

And this time, the mirror answered:

" You are beautiful. It is true .

But Snow White is more beautiful

than you ."

The queen was very angry. "Snow White

must die," she said.

The queen called for the hunter. "Take

Snow White into the forest and kill her," she

said. And she gave the hunter a bag of gold

coins.

The hunter took Snow White into the forest.

But he couldn't kill her. "You can't go

back to the palace," he said to her. "The

queen wants to kill you. You must stay in the

forest." Then he left Snow White in the forest.

The hunter killed a deer. He took the

deer's heart to the palace and gave it to the

queen. "this is Snow White's heart," he said.

The queen was happy, "Snow White is

dead. Now, I am the most beautiful of all,"

she said.

Snow White walked further into the forest.

It was very dark and she was very frightened.

She wanted to go home.

Then, she saw a house. She went and

knocked on the door. Nobody answered, so

she opened the door and went inside.

Everything in the house was very small.

There were seven cups and seven small

plates. There were seven small forks and

seven small spoons. And there were seven

small loaves of bread.

Snow White was very hungry, so she ate

some bread. Then, Snow White was tired, so

she went upstairs. And upstairs, there were

seven little beds. Snow White lay down and

went to sleep.

Seven dwarfs lived in the house. That

night, they came home. They found Snow

White. She was still asleep on the beds. They

were very surprised. "Who is she? What is

she doing here? they asked.

Suddenly, Snow White woke up. "Don't be

frightened," said the dwarfs. Snow White

wasn't frightened. She told the dwarfs about

the cruel queen.

"you can't go home," said the dwarfs.

"you must stay here with us."

The next morning, the dwarfs went to

work. Before they went, they said to Snow

White, "Stay in the house. And don't open

the door."

"Okay," said Snow White.

At the palace, the queen was happy. She

went to her mirror and asked:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who is the most beautiful of all?"

And this time, the mirror answered:

"You are beautiful. It is true.

But there is a girl more beautiful than you.

Snow White isn't dead.

FAIIRY TALES 71

She lives in a house with seven beds."

The queen was very angry. "A house with

seven beds? I know that house! The hunter

didn't kill Snow White. She is at the house of

seven dwarfs. I must go there and kill her."

The queen went to the garden and got

some red apples. She poisoned an apple.

Then, she put all the apples into the basket.

She dressed in the clothes of an old woman.

Then, she went to the dwarf's house.

The queen knocked on the door. "Red

apples! Lovely red apples! Would you like

some lovely red apples?" she called.

Snow White didn't want to open the door.

But she wanted to buy some apples for the

dwarfs. She opened the window and called to

the old woman.

The old woman said, "Don't be frightened.

Come and taste this apple."

So Snow White went outside. She took the

poisoned apple and began to eat it. "Mmm…

it's delicious," she said. Then she fell to the

ground.

The queen laughed and left. "now, Snow

White is dead. I am the most beautiful of all,"

she said.

That night, the seven dwarfs came home.

They found Snow White on the ground.

"She's dead," said the youngest dwarf.

"Maybe, she's not dead. Maybe she's

sleeping," said another dwarf.

They made a glass box for her. "She can

lie in this box and we can come and see her

every day," said the oldest dwarf. They were

all very sad.

A few days later, a prince found the glass

box, and he saw Snow White. He opened the

glass box and picked her up. She can't stay

here. I must take her to the palace with me,

he thought.

The piece of poisoned apple fell out of her

mouth. Snow White opened her eyes and she

saw the handsome prince. They sat and

talked.

The dwarfs came home from work. They

found Snow White with the prince. They were

very happy because Snow White was alive

and well.

"I want to take her to the palace," said the

prince, "And I want to marry her." Snow

White and the dwarfs were very happy.

On Snow White's wedding day, the queen

stood in front of the magic mirror and asked:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall.

Who is the most beautiful of all?"

And this time, the mirror answered:

"You are beautiful. It is true.

But there is a girl more beautiful than you.

To you this secret I must tell,

Snow White is alive and well."

The queen was very angry. She broke the

mirror. It was the magic mirror that made

her beautiful. So when the mirror broke, the

queen became old and ugly. That day, she

left the palace. And no one ever saw her

again.

Snow White married the prince. They lived

together happily. And the seven dwarfs often

visited Snow White at the palace.

􀂄

72 FAIIRY TALES

THE TOWN MOUSE & THE

COUNTRY MOUSE

Here is Country Mouse. Country Mouse

lives in a field. It is a big cornfield. He

has a nice house in the middle of the

cornfield. Look! His house is in the tree.

Every day, Country Mouse eats corn . He

eats corn for breakfast. He eats corn for

lunch. And he eats corn for dinner.

And every day, Country Mouse plays in the

field with his friends. The country is nice and

quiet. And Coutry Mouse is very happy.

One day, a mouse from the town visits the

country. He walks through the cornfield. He

walks and thinks. The country is boring.

What can you do in the country? Nothing!

thinks Town Mouse.

In the town, you can buy nice clothes. You

can eat good food. You can visit museums.

And you can go to the cinema . I love the

town, he thinks.

Country Mouse sees him. Country mouse

is very kind and friendly. He invites Town

Mouse to dinner. "Do you want to come for

dinner at my house?"

"That's very kind of you. Thank you,"says

Town Mouse.

That evening, Town mouse and Country

Mose have dinner in the little tree house.

They eat corn for dinner.

"Mmm. I love corn," says Country Mouse.

"Do you like corn?"

"It's okay," says Town Mouse.

"Please have some more ," says Country

Mouse.

"No, thank you. I'm full," says Town

Mouse. He doesn't like corn very much.

It is very quiet now. The birds are asleep

in their nests. The farmers are asleep in their

houses. And the rabbits are asleep in the

field.

"It's very quiet ," says Town Mouse.

"Yes, it is," says Country Mouse. "There's

no noise! It's wonderful."

"What do you do here? asks Town Mouse.

"Aren't you bored?"

"I'm never bored," says Country Mouse.

"In the winter, I play in the farmhouse. It's

very warm there. And in the summer , I play

in the field."

The country is very boring! thinks Town

Mouse. I'm lucky, I live in the town. Then,

Town Mouse has an idea. "Come to the town.

Come and stay with me," he says.

"That's very kind of you," says Country

Mouse. "Thank you."

The next day, Town Mouse and Country

Mouse get on a bus. And they go to the town.

The town is very noisy. There are a lot of

cars. There are a lot of people. And there are

a lot of shops and cafes.

The people are shouting. The dogs are

barking. And the cars are beeping their

horns.

Town Mouse is smiling. He is very happy.

He likes the town.

Country Mouse isn't smiling. He isn't

happy. He doesn't like the town. The town is

noisy and dirty. Country Mouse hates the

town.

Town Mouse and Country Mouse walk

along the streets. "I don't like the town,"

Country Mouse thinks.

The two mice walk to Town Mouse's

house.

Town Mouse's house is beatiful. It is very

big. And it has a big garden. In the garden,

there are a lot of beatiful flowers. " It's a

beatiful house," says Country Mouse. "You

are very lucky."

"Thank you," says Town Mouse. "Let's go

inside."

They walk up to the path to the big front

door. They go inside. Town Mouse lives in the

kitchen. In the kitchen there are a lot of

cupboards. And in the cupboards, there is a

lot of food. There is some bread. There are

some jars of honey and jam. There are some

nuts and biscuits and cakes. And there is a

beatiful big piece of cheese.

"Wow!" says Country Mouse. "There is a

lot of food."

"Yes," says Town Mouse, "I'm hungry.

Let's eat."

FAIIRY TALES 73

Suddenly the kitchen door opens. The

mice see a pair of big black boots and...Oh

no! There is a cat. It is a big white cat.

"Miaow," says the cat.

The mice are frightened. They hide next to

a jar of honey. But the big white cat doesn't

smell the mice. The big black boots and the

cat walk out of the kitchen.

The two mice watch and wait. The door

closes. "Phew!" says Town Mouse. Country

Mouse doesn't say anything. He is frightened.

"It's okay, now," says Town Mouse. "I'm

very hungry. Let's eat." Country Mouse is

not hungry now. He is frightened.

"Don't be frightened." says Town Mouse.

"Come and eat." Town Mouse eats some

cheese. "Mmm.

This cheese is good," he says.

Suddenly, the door opens. A big grey cat

walks in. The big grey cat is hungry. It

miaows.

Country Mouse is very frightened. The cat

can smell the mice.

The cat sees the mice. The cat opens its

mouth wide. Look at its sharp white teeth!

The cheese and the jars fall to the floor.

There is a loud noise. The mice run across

the floor. The cat runs after the mice. They

run and hide behind the cupboard.

The big black boots and the big white cat

hear the noise. They come into the kitchen

again. The white cat is angry. Who is this big

grey cat? This is my house, thinks the white

cat. Then he runs after the big grey cat. The

big black boots are angry. They shout at the

big grey cat. And the big grey cat runs out

of the house.

The two mice sit behind the cupboard and

wait. They are very frightened. Soon,the

kitchen is quiet again.

"It's okay now," says Town Mouse. "Let's

eat. I'm very hungry."

Country Mouse is not hungry. "No, thank

you. I can't eat now. I'm going home," says

Country Mouse.

Country Mouse runs out of the kitchen. He

runs down the steps. He runs along the path.

He runs out of the garden. And he gets on a

bus. The bus is going to the country.

Town Mouse watches Country Mouse.

Then, he goes inside his house. He sits in his

kitchen and eats his cheese. He is happy. He

has a beatiful big house. He has beatiful

clothes. And he has a lot of good food. "Life

in the town is good ,he thinks. I'm very

lucky."

Finally, Country Mouse arrives home. He

is happy. He sits in his cornfield and eats his

corn. "Life in the country is good, he thinks.

I'm very lucky."

The two mice like different things.

􀂄