James Baquet

“The Frog Prince” (or “Iron Henry”) is one of those stories that we think we know — but do we?

Once there was a king whose youngest daughter possessed great beauty. She would often go to a well in the vicinity of the king’s castle to toss her little golden ball into the air and catch it again.

One day, she missed. The ball rolled into the well and sank beneath the water. She cried inconsolably until an ugly old frog, who lived in the well, said, “Princess! Why so sad? Your crying would move a stone to pity.” Spying him, the princess said, “I’m crying because I’ve lost my ball.”

“If I bring it to you,” the frog asked, “what will you give me in compensation?”

“Anything!” she exclaimed. “Clothes, jewels, pearls, even gold!”

“What need has a frog of such things?” he mused. “No, all I want in return is for you to accept me as your friend, and let me dine from your golden plate and sleep in your bed.”

“Oh, I promise!” said the princess, not meaning a word of it.

So the frog fetched the ball, the princess took it from him — and ran away with it!

The next day, at dinner time, there was a squishy knock on the door, and a voice cried out, “Youngest princess, open the door!” She did, saw the frog there — and immediately slammed it again and returned to the table.

Seeing she was agitated, the king asked what was wrong. She told the whole story, and her father insisted that she keep her word.

Step by step, the princess reluctantly obeyed. She let him eat from her plate, and at bedtime took him upstairs — carrying him by two fingers at arm’s length. She tried to make him sleep in a corner, but he threatened to tell her father that she was breaking her promise.

This made the princess so angry that she picked the frog up — and dashed him against the wall!

With that, he was transformed into a handsome prince. He explained that he had been placed under an enchantment by a wicked witch, but now that he was restored, he would take her to his kingdom and marry her.

On the way home, in his richly-appointed carriage, the prince heard something break — three times! The driver, Henry, explained that when the prince went away, Henry’s heart was breaking. So he had three bands fashioned around his heart, but now that the prince was back, his heart was freed from its bonds.

Vocabulary:

Which word above means:

1. thought, reflected

2. pay, return

3. spell

4. made

5. brought

6. area, neighborhood

7. without enthusiasm

8. upset

9. decorated

10. seeing

ANSWERS: 1. mused

2. compensation 3. enchantment 4. fashioned 5. fetched

6. vicinity 7. reluctantly 8. agitated 9. appointed 10. spying