The Frog Prince
A princess drops her golden ball into a deep well and promises a frog anything if he will bring it back, never meaning to keep her word. The King makes her keep it, and after the frog sleeps on her pillow for three nights he turns into a prince.
Scene 1: The Golden Ball
The Frog Prince. Long ago, there lived a king with a very beautiful youngest daughter. Even the sun was astonished whenever it shone on her face. Near the castle, under an old lime tree, was a deep, cool well. There the princess played with her golden ball, throwing it up high and catching it. But one day, the ball rolled into the well and sank out of sight. The princess began to cry.
Scene 2: The Frog's Promise
Then a voice said: “What is the matter, King’s daughter? Even a stone would feel sorry for you.” It was a frog, stretching his thick, ugly head out of the water. The frog said: “I can bring back your ball. But what will you give me?” The princess said: “My clothes, my pearls and jewels, even my golden crown!” The frog said: “I do not want those. Let me be your friend, eat from your little golden plate, and sleep in your little bed.” The princess said: “Oh yes, I promise!” But she thought: “How the silly frog talks! He can never leave his well.”
Scene 3: Croak, Croak
The frog dived down, and came up with the golden ball in his mouth. The princess grabbed it and ran away. The frog called: “Wait, wait! Take me with you! I can’t run as fast as you!” But she did not listen, and soon forgot the poor frog.
Scene 4: Splish Splash
The next day, the princess sat at dinner with the King. Then something came up the marble stairs, splish splash, splish splash, and knocked at the door. A voice cried: “Youngest princess, open the door for me!” She opened the door, saw the frog, and slammed it shut. The King asked: “My child, what are you afraid of? Is there a giant outside?” She said: “No, father. It is a frog. I promised he could be my friend.”
Scene 5: You Must Keep It
The King said: “What you have promised, you must keep. Go and let him in.” So the frog hopped in, and ate from her little golden plate. Then he said: “Now I am tired. Carry me to your little bed.” The princess began to cry, but the King said: “He helped you when you were in trouble. Do not turn him away now.”
Scene 6: Three Nights
So she carried him upstairs and set him on her pillow, where he slept all night. In the morning he hopped away. But the next night he came back, and the night after that too. On the third morning, the princess woke up and was astonished. Instead of the frog, there stood a prince with beautiful kind eyes!
Scene 7: Into His Kingdom
A wicked witch had turned him into a frog, and only the princess could break the spell. Then a carriage came, pulled by eight white horses, with faithful Henry riding behind. The princess and the prince rode away to his kingdom, and they lived happily for many years. What you promise, you must keep.
Moral: What you promise, you must keep.
Questions about The Frog Prince
What fell into the well?
The princess's golden ball.
Who brought the ball back up from the water?
A frog.
What did the frog want instead of clothes and jewels?
To be her friend, eat from her plate and sleep in her bed.
What did the King tell the princess about her promise?
What you have promised, you must keep.
How many nights did the frog sleep on her pillow?
Three.
More stories to read aloud
- 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.
- 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.