Cinderella
Kind Cinderella works among the cinders for her proud stepmother and stepsisters, until her fairy godmother turns a pumpkin into a golden coach and sends her to the King’s son’s ball in glass slippers. She runs away at midnight and loses a slipper, but it fits only her, and she marries the Prince and forgives her sisters with all her heart.
Scene 1: The Girl by the Cinders
Cinderella. Once a gentleman married the proudest woman that was ever seen. Her two daughters were just as proud. But his own daughter was kind and sweet. She did all the hardest work. When it was done, she sat among the cinders, so they called her Cinderella.
Scene 2: The King’s Son Gives a Ball
The King’s son gave a ball, and the two sisters were invited. Cinderella did their hair perfectly. They asked her: “Cinderella, would you not like to go to the ball?” She sighed: “Alas, it is not for such as I am to go.” When they drove away, Cinderella began to cry.
Scene 3: The Fairy Godmother
Her godmother, who was a fairy, said: “You wish you could go to the ball. Then you shall go! Run into the garden, and bring me a pumpkin.” She touched the pumpkin with her wand, and at once it turned into a fine coach, all covered with gold!
Scene 4: Before Midnight
Six mice became six horses, a rat became a coachman, and six lizards became footmen. Her rags became a dress of gold and silver, and she had glass slippers, the prettiest in the world. Her godmother warned her: “Do not stay past midnight! Or your coach will be a pumpkin again, and your clothes will be rags.”
Scene 5: Who Is She?
At the ball, the Prince ran out to meet her and led her in. The music stopped. Everyone whispered: “Ah! How beautiful she is!” They danced, and she shared oranges with her sisters, but they did not know her. At a quarter to twelve, she curtsied and hurried home.
Scene 6: The Clock Strikes Twelve
The next night, she went again, dressed even more beautifully. She forgot the time, and the clock began to strike twelve! She fled, as nimble as a deer, and left one glass slipper behind. The Prince picked it up most carefully. She got home out of breath, in rags, with only the other little slipper.
Scene 7: Let Me See
Trumpets announced that the Prince would marry the one whose foot the slipper fit. Princesses and duchesses tried it. The sisters pushed and squeezed, but it would not fit. Cinderella laughed and said: “Let me see if it will not fit me.” Her sisters laughed, but the gentleman let her try. It slid on easily, as if made of wax! Then she took the other slipper from her pocket.
Scene 8: With All Her Heart
Her godmother touched her with her wand, and she was finer than ever. Now the sisters knew her. They fell at her feet and begged her to forgive them. Cinderella lifted them up, hugged them, and forgave them with all her heart. She married the Prince, and her sisters lived at the palace too. A kind heart is worth more than a pretty face.
Moral: A kind heart is worth more than a pretty face.
Questions about Cinderella
Why did they call her Cinderella?
She sat among the cinders.
What did the godmother turn into a golden coach?
A pumpkin.
What did six mice become?
Six horses.
What happened when the clock began to strike twelve?
Cinderella ran away and lost a slipper.
What did Cinderella do when her sisters begged her to forgive them?
She hugged them and forgave them.
More stories to read aloud
- Diamonds and Toads — A kind girl gives water to a poor old woman at the fountain, and the woman, who is really a fairy, makes roses, pearls and diamonds fall from her lips at every word.
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears — While the Three Bears take a walk until their porridge cools, a little girl called Goldilocks walks into their house and tries their porridge, chairs and beds.
- Hansel and Gretel — Left in the forest, Hansel and Gretel find their way home by moonlit white pebbles, but the next time birds eat their breadcrumbs and they come to a house of bread and cake.