The Frog Prince

The Golden Ball

Once upon a time, there was a princess who had a shiny golden ball. It was her favourite toy. She loved to throw it high and catch it again.

One sunny day, she played near a deep, dark well in the woods. She tossed the ball up — but this time, she missed!

Plop! The golden ball fell straight into the well and sank out of sight.

The princess looked down into the cold water and began to cry. "My beautiful ball is gone!"

A Helpful Frog

"Why are you crying?" said a small voice.

The princess looked around. There, sitting on a wet stone, was a green frog.

"My golden ball fell into the well," she said. "I would give anything to have it back."

"I can fetch it for you," said the frog. "But will you let me be your friend? Will you let me eat from your plate and sit beside you?"

The princess only wanted her ball. "Yes, yes, anything!" she said quickly. She did not really mean it.

The frog dived deep into the well and came back up with the golden ball. The princess snatched it and ran home, forgetting all about the frog.

A Knock at the Door

That evening, as the princess sat at dinner, there came a soft knock.

Tap, tap, tap.

At the door sat the little frog. "You made me a promise," he said. "May I come in?"

The princess wrinkled her nose. But the king, her father, had heard everything.

"A promise is a promise," he said gently. "You must keep your word."

So the princess let the frog hop up beside her. He shared a little of her supper. He was polite and kind, and slowly the princess began to feel sorry for being so rude.

A Kind Word

At last, she looked at the frog and smiled. "Thank you for helping me," she said softly. "You are a good friend."

In a flash of golden light, the frog stood up tall — and turned into a handsome prince!

"A wicked spell turned me into a frog," he said. "Only a true act of kindness could break it. Thank you."

The princess learned that day that a promise must always be kept, and that a kind word can work like magic.

The prince and the princess became the best of friends, and they lived happily ever after.

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The moral: Always keep your promises, even the small ones, and remember that kindness can change everything.

Want more read-along tales? Try Cinderella or The Ugly Duckling next.