Sleeping Beauty
Enjoy the tale of the princess who slept for a hundred years.Classic Tales is a richly illustrated full-colour English graded readers series that offers classic tales retold for primary language learners. Each story in this new edition is accompanied by e-Books, audio, and Activity Books.
Story Summary
The Princess's Birth
After years of longing, the king and queen finally welcome a baby girl. Overjoyed, they invite six fairies (yellow, orange, green, red, blue, and pink) to her christening, along with the little white fairy. However, they forget to invite the black fairy, Carabosse, who is known for her wickedness. This oversight sets the stage for trouble.
The Fairies' Gifts and the Curse
At the christening dinner, Carabosse arrives uninvited and is given silver plates instead of gold, deepening her anger. The other fairies bestow gifts upon the princess: happiness, strength, beauty, kindness, and many friends. Carabosse then curses the princess, declaring she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The little white fairy, however, softens the curse: the princess will sleep for 100 years and be awakened by a prince's kiss.
The King's Attempt to Prevent the Curse
Determined to protect his daughter, the king orders all spinning wheels in the kingdom to be burned. Despite this, one spinning wheel remains hidden in an old tower. Years later, on her sixteenth birthday, the curious princess discovers the tower, meets an old woman (unaware of the danger), and pricks her finger on the spindle. She collapses, fulfilling the curse. The little white fairy puts the entire castle to sleep, surrounding it with tall trees to hide it from the world.
The Prince's Arrival
A hundred years later, a young prince hears tales of a hidden castle and a sleeping princess. Braving the dense forest, he finds the castle and discovers the sleeping princess on her golden bed. Struck by her beauty, he kisses her, breaking the curse. The princess wakes, and the entire castle awakens with her, as if no time has passed.
A Joyful Ending
The prince and princess marry the same day. The princess, famished after her long sleep, eagerly eats the warm food prepared a century earlier. They later have two children—a girl with golden hair like her mother and a boy with dark hair like his father. The family lives happily ever after, their castle no longer hidden by thorns.
Story Vocabulary Quiz
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Story Quiz
Sue Arengo
A Storyteller for Young Learners of English
Sue Arengo is a British author who writes wonderful stories for children learning English. She has worked with Oxford University Press for over 20 years, creating books that are fun and easy to read. Many of her books are part of graded reader series like Classic Tales, Dominoes, and Oxford Bookworms.
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