Wonder Teller
Cover of The Twelve Dancing Princesses: A Gentle Retelling
Folktales & LegendsPicture bookLevel 4Ages 3–5

The Twelve Dancing Princesses: A Gentle Retelling

English · 22 pages · 841 words · 7 min read

A gentle retelling for listeners ages 3–5 of the Brothers Grimm tale Margaret Hunt titled “The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces”: a poor soldier with a cloak that makes him unseen follows twelve princesses under the ground, past trees of silver, gold, and diamonds, to find where they dance their shoes to pieces every night.

Read first 4 pages
Original work by
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Translated by
Margaret Hunt
Adapted by
Wonder Teller

A look inside

The opening of The Twelve Dancing Princesses: A Gentle Retelling, free to read.

  1. Illustration from page 2 of The Twelve Dancing Princesses: A Gentle Retelling

    The King’s twelve daughters slept in twelve beds, all in one long room. Click went his key every night, and clunk went the bolt. But every morning, there lay twelve pairs of dancing shoes, worn right through!

  2. Illustration from page 3 of The Twelve Dancing Princesses: A Gentle Retelling

    The King sent word across the land. Whoever found where the princesses danced could choose one to marry, and would be king one day. But the rule was hard: anyone who tried for three nights and failed would lose his life.

  3. Illustration from page 4 of The Twelve Dancing Princesses: A Gentle Retelling

    A prince came first. His bed stood by the princesses’ open door. Yawn! Down went his eyelids, and three mornings running, the shoes had holes. So the prince lost his life, and many who came after him did too.

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