Perrault's Fairy Tales

Once lived a king and a queen whose only dream was to finally have a child. Their dream came true and the queen gave birth to a breathtaking beauty. They invited all of the fairies in the land but forgot about one. She was so furious that she cursed the poor little girl. She was going to prick her hand with a spindle, and die of it. Fortunately one of the good godmothers managed to lessen the curse. If such thing happened, the girl was not going to die. She was just going to sleep for a 100 years. The king did everything he could to get rid of every spindle and spinning wheel. But the curse was stronger than that. And when the girl turned sixteen, she pricked her hand and fell asleep. Who disenchanted the girl and what followed after that? Find out in "The Sleeping Beauty".

One man and his wife had seven children. However they were all so poor that the parents decided to leave their children in the forest. The smallest, Little Thumb, was the smartest and although he was often neglected, he managed to get his brothers out of trouble several times. Will he however succeed and save them when they end up in an ogre's house or this will be beyond his power? Will they find their way home? Find out how the story ends in "Little Thumb".

Have you heard of Little Red Riding Hood? Then you most certainly know that she was a little girl who headed out to bring food and wine to her poor grandmother. But the Red Riding Hood met a wolf. He seemed harmless so she did not fear. But then he tricked her into telling him where she was headed. And he ran as fast as he could to get to the Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother first. But did he eat her? Did he hide her? What did he do with the poor Riding Hood when she arrived? You can find the answers in Charles Perrault's "Little Red Riding Hood".

Once lived an ugly prince who had a kindhearted godmother. The godmother gave the prince the power to confer wit upon the ones he loved the most. He headed out to a far kingdom where two princesses lived. The one was intelligent but ugly. The other one was a real beauty but was unwise. Which one will the prince choose? Will there be a wedding in the end of the tale? Find out in "Riquet of the Tuft".

Once lived a powerful and rich man called Blue Beard. Can you guess why? Well of course because of his beard that was strangely blue. The man himself was also a bit strange, even frightening. He married several times but each time his wife disappeared into thin air. He decided to remarry again and he chose one of his neighbor's daughters. Some time passed by and the rich man was about to leave the country. He left his wife a magical key which opened every door in the castle but one. The girl was not allowed to try to enter it. However her curiosity prevailed and she opened the door. What did she see there and will her husband find out that she disobeyed? "Blue Beard" holds the answers.

A wealthy man remarried after his wife passed away. His second wife and her two daughters were however so mean, selfish and greedy that they made the man's daughter clean and work all day long. The poor girl on the other side was kindhearted and gentle. One day the prince invited all the young ladies in the land to a ball. He was going to choose his future wife. The two step-sisters and the rude step-mother prepared their gowns. Cinderella was however not allowed to go with them. But then her good fairy godmother helped her and sent her to the ball dressed in a magically beautiful dress and glass slippers. Will the prince choose her before all the others and what will happen when he finds out that Cinderella is an ordinary girl who sleeps near a fireplace? Find out in "Cinderella".

Once lived a mother with her two daughters. The older one was a lot alike her mother – rude and impolite while the younger was beautiful and kind like her father. The mother's favorite daughter was of course the one that looked and behaved like her so she made her younger daughter do all the housework. The poor girl had to go to the river each and every morning and carry a jug of water home. One day she met a poor old woman who begged for a bit of water. The kindhearted girl helped her right away but what she did not know was that it was not an ordinary woman she helped, it was a fairy. Do you want to find out how to story goes for both sisters? Then read "The Fairy".

Charles Perrault's world of "Fairy Tales" will transport you to another time. You will find yourself in a mystical universe in which brave princes save princesses, wolves lurk amongst dark forests, and clever cats help their humans. The fairies that fly between each page and lay curses upon innocent princesses will teach you that they aren't always kind, but you will learn that love defeats all, even evil fairies! A marvellous collection of stories, "Fairy Tales" has it all - kingdoms, animals, a bit of danger, a lot of love, and the secret ingredient, magic! Includes fairy tales such as "Little Thumb", "The Fairy", "Riquet with The Tuft", "Blue Beard", "Puss in boots", "Sleeping Beauty", "Donkey-Skin", "Cinderella" and "Little Red Riding Hood".

A miller died and his three sons inherited him. The oldest got the mill, the middle one got a donkey and the youngest got a cat. The poor boy thought the fate was unfair to him as he could not do that much with the cat he received. But the cat was not an ordinary one. If the boy was willing to get a pair of boots for the cat, then it was going to make its master rich. How you may think? Well by lying to the king that its master is actually Lord Marquis of Carabas. Do you think the king would believe this lie and how will the cat and its owner end up? Find out in "Puss in Boots".

One king, his queen and their daughter lived once in a big castle which was so rich because of the magical golden donkey they had. One day the queen died. Her last wish was that the king would remarry only if he found someone as beautiful as her. But it was not an easy task because such beauty was nowhere to be seen. Eventually the king realized that his own daughter was as magnificent as her own mother, so he decided to marry her. The poor girl however was not willing to marry her own father so she sought advice from her fairy godmother. The girl had to make impossible demands and if she was granted all of them, the king was going to get her consent. One of the conditions was the skin of the king's precious golden donkey. Do you think the king will sacrifice the source of the kingdom's wealth? Find out in "Donkey Skin".