Bedtime Stories

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•WONDER BOOKS

BEDTIME STORIES

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PRICE STERN SLOAN Los Angeles

Copyright © 1946, 1973 by Price Stem Sloan, Cover Copyright © 1987 by Price Stem Sloan,

Inc. Inc.

360 North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90048 Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 0-8431-4197-2 Wonder Books®

is

a registered trademark of Price

Stem

Sloan, Inc.

CINDERELLA

\^J NCE second

w^ife

"You

there

And

a little girl

who had two

whose

father

had married

a

daughters.

we

are," said these

two daughters

"You are good

for nothing but

work, so hurry

are not as pretty as

to the Httle girl.

up and

was

take the ashes out and poke

up

the fire."

because she was always kept busy tending the

raking the cinders, they called her Cinderella.

fire,

Now

happened

It

that in the

country where they hved, the King's son ball.

was going

The two

sisters

to give a

were

and spent days

cited,

all

ex-

in trying

on dresses and looking

at

them-

selves in the mirror.

"You can

our hair for us,"

fix

they said to Cinderella, and she tried their hair in different

do wish

"I

ways.

could go with

I

you," Cinderella said softly.

"You!"

They

laughed.

w^ould the Prince say

you

in

"What he

if

saw

your ragged old dress?"

After they had gone, Cinderella

looked

and

clothes

same,

down

I

sighed.

wish

I

her

old

"Just

the

at

could go," she

whispered.

"And

so

you

shall,"

musical voice behind her.

said

a

Cinderella whirled around, and there stood a beautiful lady

with

a

gold crown on her head.

"Who

are you?" asked Cinderella, staring at this stranger in

wonder. "I

and

am your

I've

come

Prince's ball.

godmother,

fairy

to

send you to the

Run

into the gar-

den, child, and get

me

nice

a

big pumpkin."

did

Cinderella told.

The

waved

fairy

her

over the pumpkin, and

immediately

was.

she

as

changed

wand

it

was

into

a

splendid coach.

"Now we

need horses," said

the fairy godmother. "Bring

me

the mouse-trap."

Cinderella ran to bring the trap,

which was

cage and had six

like fat

a

mice

httle

in

it.

Another wave of the wand, and the

mice became six prancing

/

y^u^

white horses. Cinderella stared

"A coachman now/' you

at

them

in

wonder.

said the godmother.

"Let

me

see.

Have

a rat-trap?"

"Oh She

yes," said Cinderella, her eyes shining set the rat-trap

the door just

enough

down on

to let out

the ground,

one

rat,

with excitement.

and the

fairy

opened

which she tapped with her

wand. "There's your coachman/' she said as the rat changed into a

!

plump

little

man who jumped up on

the coach seat

and took the

reins in his hands. "If

you

will look behind the watering pot in the garden," said

the fairy, "you'll find six lizards."

Sure enough, behind the watermg pot were six green lizards waiting for Cinderella, and they were quickly transformed into

footmen whose clothes were trimmed with

"Have

a

good

time,

my

silver

and gold.

dear," said the fairy godmother.

"But— my

clothes!" said Cinderella timidly.

The

godmother laughed, and she touched Cinderella

fairy

w^ith her

wand.

"Oh-h'h'h!"

gown.

beautiful

Cinderella

cried It

was made

as

she

looked

down

at

her

of cloth of gold and silver, and on

her feet twinkled lovely Uttle sHppers of glass.

"There

is

only one thing for you to remember," said the

"You must be home by midnight, at

twelve o'clock

this

magic will end."

Cinderella said she ber,

and

for'

would remem-

off she started in the

mag-

nificent coach.

What

"Who

a 15

marvelous evening

it

was

she?" everyone asked.

fairy.

"The Prince dances with nobody but

"How Even

lovely she

the King,

to his wife,

is!"

they

who saw

all

his

have never seen

"I

her."

said.

son dancing with Cinderella, said a lovelier

maiden."

"Will you come agam tomorrow night?" the Prince whispered in Cinderella's ear. "I'll

answered happily.

try," she

clock and

saw

it

was

a

Just then she

looked

quarter to twelve, and she sKpped

at the

away

to her waiting coach.

When

her sisters came home, they could talk of nothing but

the mysterious princess. "I

wonder

if

she will

come again tomorrow,"

said one of the

sisters.

Cinderella wondered, too; but the next evening, after her

stepsisters

had

left

for the palace, the beautiful fairy

once more and made the same magic

all

over again.

This time the evening w^as even more wonderful, be.

The time

fairly

appeared

if

that could

flew by,' and Cinderella was so happy dancing

with the Prince

Suddenly dismay

that

it

it

that she forgot

began

was

to strike.

all

about watching the clock.

Looking up, Cinderella saw with

midnight!

She dashed out of the ballroom and such

a

the palace steps, in

hurry that she never even noticed that one of the

slippers

By

down

had come

off

on the

Uttle glass

stairs.

the time she reached her coach, the clock

had finished

Where

striking.

the coach

had stood, there was only

kin lying on the ground. Cinderella scurried

off.

pump-

a big

Her

clothes

changed back into old rags, but strangely enough she

had one always

Httle glass slipper.

as a

early

A messenger

the Prince

had found the mysterious maiden's

was going

to take

it

to every

house

in the

maiden w^ould be

that

What

a hustle

and bustle there w^as then,

their best dresses to

dress, but she

Then

sound

welcome

and wished

had nothing

glass slipper.

that

He

his bride.

as

all

the girls ran to

the King's son. Cinderella

that she could

change her ragged

else to w^ear.

doorway, and

the Prince himself stood in the

stepsisters

the

kingdom, and when he

owner,

face

by

from the palace called out the new^s

its

washed her

it

reminder of what a lovely time she had had.

of a bugle.

put on

still

She made up her mind to keep

The next morning, everyone was awakened

found

had

pushed Cinderella aside

in their

the

two

hurry to try on the

slipper. "I

think

it

will

fit,"

gasped the older

girl;

but try

as she

she could not squeeze her toes into the tiny slipper.

The younger "Let

me

sister

had no better

try," said Cinderella in a

"You!" cried the stepsisters.

luck.

shy

Uttle voice.

"Go back

to the kitchen!"

would,

"No," said the Prince, for he lovely

little

face

and not

at

was looking hard

at

Cinderella's

her ragged clothes. "Let her try."

Cinderella sHpped her foot easily into the glass slipper. Then,

amazement, she drew forth the other slipper from

to everyone's

her pocket and put

At

that

on her other

it

very moment, the

foot.

fairy

godmother appeared and

touched Cinderella's dress- with her wand. There she stood gorgeous

gow^n, and the Prince knelt dow^n

ball

said, "This

is

my own

There was

happy them

a

at

in the

her feet and

true bride."

wonderful wedding, and Cinderella was so

that she forgave the stepsisters for their unkindness, took

to live at the court

/Th

and even found husbands

for them.

SNOW WHITE A

lovely

Queen was

snowy winter

sewing, one

window

sitting

by

to get a breath of air,

on the

'1

wish

had

and

it

happened

few drops

that

of blood

white snow.

clean, I

window,

day. She had raised the

she pricked her finger, and a fell

the palace

a baby,''

thought the Queen, ''with

skin as white as this snow, lips as red as this blood,

and hair

as

black as

Soon afterward, her,

this

windowsill."

a Uttle

daughter

was born

to

and the Queen died.

Everyone

said,

white her skin lovely black

is!

hair!''

''What

How And

a lovely child!

red her

lips!

See

how

And what

so they called her

Snow

White. After a while, the King married again, and the

it<^

New

Queen was very proud and

hersejf the

most beautiful

woman

vain.

She thought

in the

world, and

she

was very fond

front of

it

of her magic mirror. She used to stand in

every day, preening

herself.

And

"Mirror, mirror, on the

Who

is

of us

fairest

she w^ould ask,

w^all, all?"

and the mirror w^ould answ^er,

"You

prettier.

to

Lady Queen."

Queen very much; but

This pleased the

White began

are the fairest,

grow

as

Snow

up, she became prettier and

Soon she was more

beautiful than the

Queen;

and so one day, when the Queen stood before the magic mirror and asked, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who the

is

fairest

of us

all?"

answer came back,

'Tou were

the fairest long ago,

Snow White

is

fairest

now, you know."

made

This

huntsmen and her.

Queen

the

said,

me back

Bring

The Huntsman not bear to

called one of the into the forest

King

and

s

kill

her heart/'

Snow White among

''Run off

he told her. Then he killed the

She

"Take Snow White

led

kill her.

furious.

into the

woods, but he could

the trees

and hide. Princess,"

young boar and took

a

its

heart to

wicked Queen.

Poor

Snow came

until she

When

this

came home

left

to a neat httle cottage.

was

the

after a

home

a

beauty she

"Wouldn't

it

She knocked

at the

door.

went

in.

of the Seven Dwarfs, and soon they in the mines.

Snow White is!"

wandered along

she opened the door and

good day's work

around, and soon found

"What

alone in the forest,

was no answer,

there

Now

White,

They looked

fast asleep.

they exclaimed, talking in whispers.

be wonderful

if

she

would

stay with us?"

— "Oh, please stay with

she

the smallest

dwarf of

all.

PLEASE!"

"Please,

And

begged

us,"

he said

was

Snow White woke

so loud that

it

startled to see the seven

were so

lovely smiles and

"Do you

first

soon

felt

quite at home.

to stay?" she asked.

"Oh, yes," said the Seven Dwarfs

And when Snow White

all at

once.

them about the wicked Queen,

told

would

they told her that they

At

men, but they had such

little

polite that she

want me

really

up.

take care of her and keep her safe

forever. In the meantime, the

wicked Queen was happy, thinking

Snow White was dead and

One day

beautiful than herself.

Magic Mirror and

there

was no one

she

in the

that

world more

went and stood before

the

said,

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall;

Who

is

She was smiling

grew green with

fairest

as she

And

is

what

the mirror said:

the fairest long ago

Snow White lives

all?"

asked the question, but soon her face

rage, for this

"You were

She

of us

is

fairest

with Dwarfs

she's alive

now, you know.

—

far, far

away.

and well today."

The Queen was

furious.

She made an apple

on one side and perfectly good on the other finished

it,

and went "I

to call

can't let

knocked "I

she dressed herself

at the

on

you

Snow in,"

side.

to look like

poisoned

When

she had

somebody

said

Snow White when

the

Queen

door.

the poisoned one

up

to the

not allowed to

buy

sell,"

Queen, and she held

said the

window. any," said

Snow

White.

"Well, just take a bite, dearie," said the Queen, but

Snow White

held back, she added, "Not afraid of

See, ril take a bite myself," and she bit that "I

was

else

White.

have some nice apples to

"Fm

up

that ^vas

it

carefully

it,

are

when you?

on the side

not poisoned.

guess

it

wouldn't hurt

to take a bite,"

said

Snow White

timidly; but

And

when

when

time

this

she put her teeth into the apple she fainted.

Magic Mirror

fore the

the answer- she

Queen

the

to ask the

wanted

got back

home and stood

be-

same old question, she heard

to hear:

"You are the

fairest,

Lady Queen."

That evening the Seven Dwarfs found

Snow White

lying on

the floor, and try as they might, they could not rouse her.

Queen

"That bad old

has killed her," said the youngest Dwarf.

"But she doesn't look dead," said the oldest and wisest. "See

how^ red her Hps

are. Let's

always watch over

So

One day he

a

saw Snow White and heard

the case

home

offered

all

the forest.

her story from the

the gold that he

had

"Then give her

"We

w^ouldn't

sell

Dwarf who

he could take

her for anything."

to me," said the Prince.

the other six Dw^arfs

came home and saw^ how^ much

the Prince

wanted Snow White, they decided

her, for he

promised to take care of her alw^ays.

The

if

When

v^ith him.

But the Dw^arf answ^ered,

When

can

did.

handsome Prince came through

was on guard, he

wt

her."

what they

that's

put her in a glass case w^here

Prince's

men

to let

him have

raised the glass case to their shoulders to

carry

it

away, but one of them tripped on

a stone

and stumbled.

Crash! went the case to the ground, and the bite of poisoned apple that had stuck in

She

sat

And "I

up and looked around then the Prince said,

would be very glad

"but I'm afraid the

"Oh, no,

"You

Snow

know

that she just

And

so

she'll

that

White's throat bounced right out! her in wonder.

"Snow White, to

will

you marry me?"

marry you," said

wicked Queen would

Snow White,

find us."

never hurt anyone again," said the

Prince.

temper of hers? Well, one day she got so mad

went up

in

smoke, and no one has seen her

Snow White and

the Prince

to visit

word

about the bad old Queen.

often,

the

Dwarfs

and nobody has ever heard another

came

them

were married,

since."

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illustrated stories

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THE LITTLE

THE LITTLE TRAIN THAT WON A MEDAL

RED CABOOSE THAT RAN AWAY

FIRE FIGHTERS

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WIDENED BOOK FAIRS

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