The Frog Prince

This story is called The Frog Prince by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. This is a LibraryCall adaptation and recording. One fine morning, a young princess named Luisa put on her coat and shoes and went outside to play in the woods. After walking for a while, she came to a cool pond and decided to sit down for a rest. She had brought her favorite golden ball with her, and as she sat, she mindlessly tossed it up into the air and caught it again. Eventually, she threw the ball so high that it bounced off the branch of a tree and went crashing down into the water. Being made of gold, it immediately sank to the bottom of the pond. Princess Luisa looked into the water and tried to find the ball, but the pond was so deep that she couldn’t see the bottom of it. She began to cry in frustration. ‘“I would give anything to have my ball back,” she said to herself. Suddenly, a frog with moist green skin and protruding eyes emerged from the water and said, “Princess, why are you crying?” Surprised, the princess responded, “My golden ball fell into the pond. Go and fetch it for me!” “I would be happy to help,” replied the frog, “But in return, you must promise to take me to your home and let me eat from your plate and sleep on your bed.” How ridiculous! thought the princess. I would never allow this vile creature to touch my plate or my bed! But this may be the only way to get my ball back, so I’ll pretend to agree. “Very well, if you bring me my golden ball, I will do everything you ask,” she lied. “Splendid!” said the frog. He dived deep into the water and quickly returned with the ball in his mouth. He tossed it onto the bank and Princess Luisa ran to pick it up. She was so happy to have it back that she forgot all about the frog. As she ran off, the frog called after her, “Princess! Take me with you! You promised!” But she was already gone. That evening, just as the princess had sat down to dinner, she heard a strange noise. Plunk, plunk, plunk. It sounded like something hopping up the marble staircase. Then she heard a gentle knock at the door and a little voice cry out, “Princess, it’s me, the helpful frog from the pond! Please let me in!” “Go away!” hissed Princess Luisa through the closed door. “Have you forgotten your promise?” called the frog. She ignored him and continued eating her dinner. The king, her father, eventually heard the frog’s voice through the door. “Who is that calling for you, my dear?” he asked his daughter. “It’s a disgusting frog,” she said. “He helped me retrieve my golden ball from the bottom of the pond this morning. I promised him he could live with me here, but I never thought he would actually leave the water. Make him go away, papa!” The King’s response surprised the young princess. “Luisa, you have made a promise so you must keep it. Go on now, and let him in.” Reluctantly, the princess opened the door, then ran back to her seat. The little frog jumped into the room-- plunk, plunk, plunk. He continued jumping forward until he arrived at Princess Luisa’s feet. “Hello, Princess. Please lift me up onto the chair next to you.” She was afraid to touch the frog, so she did this as quickly as she could. Once the frog was seated next to the princess, he said, “”Please move your plate a little bit closer to me so I may eat from it.” Good thing I’ve already eaten my fill, thought the princess. When the frog had eaten as much as he could, he said, “I’m feeling tired. Please carry me upstairs so I may sleep in your bed.” Princess Luisa was not happy about this, but she took him upstairs and placed him on her pillow. He slept there all night, while she slept on the floor. When rays of sun began to peek through the window the next morning, the frog jumped up, hopped downstairs--plunk, plunk, plunk-- and left the house. Princess Luisa felt surprised and a bit relieved. She thought she would never see the frog again. But when evening returned and she sat down to eat her dinner, she heard the same tapping at the door. “Princess! It’s me, your friend the frog!” I guess he wasn’t such a bad companion last night, thought the princess, opening the door. The frog hopped into the dining room and asked to eat from her plate and sleep in her room again. (This time, the frog offered to sleep on the floor!) The same thing happened on the third night. Bit by bit, the princess began to enjoy the frog’s company. He’s kind and has many interesting things to say, she thought. But how much longer can I share my dinner with a frog? When the princess woke up the next morning, she was astonished to see, not a little green frog, but a stunning young man in magnificent clothes, sleeping on the floor of her room. She walked over to him cautiously, unable to believe what she was seeing. He soon felt her intense gaze and woke up. He explained to Princess Luisa that he was actually a prince who had been enchanted by a spiteful fairy. “The fairy turned me into a frog and told me the only way to break the enchantment was to find a princess who would let me eat from her plate and sleep on her bed for three nights,” said the prince. “Not only have you broken the enchantment, but you’ve also been a lovely friend.” "Great!" said the princess, as she smiled and picked up her golden ball. "Do you like to play catch?" The prince laughed, and the two friends ran outside, tossing the golden ball back and forth between them. This was The Frog Prince by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. This has been a LibraryCall adaptation and recording.