English

There lived in a certain village a poor old woman who had collected a mess of beans and was going to cook them. So she made a fire on her hearth, and, in order to make it burn better, she put in a handful of straw. When the beans began to bubble in the pot, one of them fell out and lay, never noticed, near a straw which was already there; soon a red-hot coal jumped out of the fire and joined the pair.

THE LITTLE PRINCESS IN THE WOOD A Picture Book by SIBYLLE v. OLFERS With Text by HELEN DEAN FISH One lovely summer morning the little Princess Rosemary woke up early, jumped out of bed, put on her crown and popped her head out of the castle window. There she saw, through the branches of the Queen’s best rose-tree, a merry band of Dew Children, sparkling through the castle park as lightly as if blown on the morning wind. The Princess laughed for joy and the Dew Children heard her.

THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT BY BEATRIX POTTER ONCE upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were— Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir tree. "NOW, my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, "you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor." "NOW run along, and don't get into mischief. I am going out." THEN old Mrs.

THREE little kittens Lost their mittens, And they began to cry, "Oh, mommy dear, We sadly fear Our mittens we have lost!" "What! lost your mittens, You naughty kittens; Then you shall have no pie!" Miew, miew, miew, miew, Miew, miew, miew, miew. The three little kittens Then sought their mittens, Upon the table high; Indoors and out They scampered about, For they were very spry; Now high, now low, The three in a row, And oh!

There once lived a woman who had one great desire. She longed to have a daughter—but alas! she was childless. She could never feel happy, because of this unfulfilled wish. Even in the midst of a feast the thought would be in her mind—"Ah! if only I had a daughter to share this with me!" One day she was gathering yams in the field, and it chanced that she pulled out one which was very straight and well shaped.

Once upon a time in a village, lived a country girl, she was the cleverest girl anyone has ever seen. Her mother loved her deeply; and her grandmother adored her.

Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood. One of them was a Little, Small, Wee Bear; and one was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great, Huge Bear. They had each a pot for their porridge; a little pot for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized pot for the Middle Bear, and a great pot for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized chair for the Middle Bear, and a great chair for the Great, Huge Bear.