Once Upon a Time

Rapunzel

Tom Thumb

Briar Rose

Little Snow-White

Hansel and Gretel

Little Red-Cap

Rumpelstiltskin

The Frog-Prince

Cinderella

STEM Activity: The Tallest Tower

About the Authors

In the evening, you come to a little cottage and go in there to rest, for your weary feet will carry you no farther. Everything is spruce and neat in the cottage. A white cloth is spread on the table, and there are seven little plates with seven little loaves and seven little glasses and knives and forks laid in order. By the wall stand seven little beds.

Since you are exceedingly hungry, you pick a little piece off each loaf. After that, you decide to lie down and rest. So you try all the little beds. One is too long, and another is too short, till, at last, the seventh bed suits you. Lying there, you go to sleep.

* * *

You are still half asleep when you open your eyes, and you feel that you must be dreaming. You see seven little dwarfs enter the cottage. They look as if they live among the mountains, digging and searching for gold.

They light up their seven lamps and see directly that all is not right.

The first says, “Who has been sitting on my stool?”

The second says, “Who has been eating off my plate?”

The third says, “Who has been picking at my bread?”

The fourth says, “Who has been using my spoon?”

The fifth says, “Who has been handling my fork?”

The sixth says, “Who has been cutting with my knife?”

The seventh says, “Who has been drinking my milk?”

Then the first looks around and says, “Who has been lying on my bed?”

The rest come running to him, and everyone cries out that somebody has been upon his bed. But the seventh sees you and calls upon his brethren to come and look at you.

They cry out with wonder and astonishment. They bring their lamps, and gazing upon you, they say, “Good heavens! What a lovely child she is!”

They are delighted to see you, and they take care not to wake you further. So you sleep till the night is gone.

* * *

In the morning, you tell them all your story. They pity you and say that you stay where you are, and they will take good care of you. But they warn you, saying, “The queen will soon find out where you are, so take care and let no one in.” Then they go out all day long to their work, seeking for gold and silver in the mountains.

You imagine the queen, now that she thinks you are dead, believing that she is certainly the handsomest lady in the land. You think of her going to her glass and saying,

“Tell me, glass, tell me true!
Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is fairest? tell me who?”

The glass will answer—

“Thou, Queen, thou are fairest in all this land.
But over the Hills, in the greenwood shade,
Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made,
There Snow-White is hiding; and she
Is lovelier far, O Queen, than thee.”

Then the queen will be very much alarmed, for she knows that the glass always speaks the truth. She will be sure that the servant has betrayed her.

Your daydream is interrupted by a knock at the door and a voice that cries, “Fine wares to sell!”

You look out the window and say, “Good day, good woman. What have you to sell?

“Good wares, fine wares,” she replies. “Laces and bobbins of all colors, and beautiful combs too.”

“I will let the old peddler woman in,” you decide. “She seems to be a very good sort of person.” You run down and unbolt the door.

“Bless me,” says the woman, “what shall I give ye: laces or a comb?”

Which will you choose?

The Interactive Classic Literature series puts a new spin on classic literature for middle-grade readers, ages 9 to 13. In these interactive adventures, readers become the main characters and make choices that affect what happens next. Each book of around 140 pages introduces a timeless work of fiction—such as The Call of the Wild or The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes—and gives readers an opportunity to make about 20 life-or-death decisions. If the correct choices are made, the story’s golden path ultimately leads to a happy ending. The 5.25" x 7.5" books are priced below $10, and their video-game-in-a-book format appeals to boys and girls alike, including reluctant readers.