The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Enjoy the tale of the princesses who had holes in their shoes every morning. What did they do every night? 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 Mysterious Shoes
A king has twelve beautiful daughters who share one bedroom. Every night, the king locks their door, but every morning their shoes are worn out with holes. The princesses claim they did nothing, but the king is puzzled. He offers a reward: anyone who discovers their secret can marry one princess and become king. Many princes try but fail because the oldest princess gives them a sleeping drink. They wake up knowing nothing, and leave disappointed.
The Clever Soldier
A soldier reads the king's notice and meets an old woman who gives him important advice. She warns him not to drink the princesses' sleeping potion and gives him a magic cloak to become invisible. At the castle, the soldier pretends to drink the potion but pours it away. He pretends to sleep while secretly watching the princesses prepare for their secret adventure.
The Secret Passage
The soldier follows the princesses as they open a hidden door under the oldest princess's bed. They descend stairs into a magical underground world with three roads: one with silver trees, one with gold trees, and one with diamond trees. The youngest princess feels someone following them, but her sisters laugh it off. The soldier collects twigs from each tree as proof of his discovery.
The Midnight Dance
The princesses reach a lake with twelve boats, each with a prince waiting. They cross to a castle where they dance all night. The soldier joins the youngest princess's boat, making it heavier. At the castle, he watches them dance until dawn. When they return, he runs ahead and pretends to be asleep. He does this for three nights, collecting more evidence each time.
The Happy Ending
After three nights, the soldier shows the king the magical twigs and a cup from the castle as proof. The princesses admit the truth. The soldier chooses to marry the oldest princess because he's not young anymore, and she agrees because he's clever. They marry and live happily, often dancing and laughing together. The mystery of the worn-out shoes is finally solved.
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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