Have you ever read a story with a wizard, an elf, or a fairy? If so, then you were probably reading a fairy tale. Fairy tales are exciting stories for children.
Fairy tales include a main character who is brave. This is called a hero or a heroine. The main character usually meets a villain who tries to ruin his or her life. Sometimes, a magical character such as a fairy godmother arrives to help the hero or heroine.
Do you know about the heroine Rapunzel? She was a princess. She had lovely, golden hair. An evil witch wanted her hair. She stole Rapunzel!
So, Rapunzel was locked away in a tall tower. She couldn't escape. To visit Rapunzel, the witch shouted "Rapunzel, let down your golden hair!" She climbed up Rapunzel's long hair.
Rapunzel passed time singing in her window. One day, she saw a prince. He was amazed by her singing. Rapunzel lowered her hair for him, and he climbed up.
The prince wanted to save Rapunzel. He brought her a bit of silk every day. With this silk, she made a ladder. Finally, she escaped from the evil witch! Rapunzel and the prince lived happily ever after.
Here is a fairy tale you might not know. A long time ago, a queen had two daughters. The younger daughter was beautiful. She had long hair and a pretty smile.
The older daughter was not beautiful. She had messy hair, an ugly hood, and a loud voice. She liked to ride on a donkey and hold a wooden spoon. Her name was Tatterhood.
People did not like Tatterhood. They thought she was strange. They said she looked like an ogre. But she was happy. She loved her sister.
One day, trolls came to the castle. Everyone was scared, except for Tatterhood. She fought all the trolls away. She saved her family and all the people in the castle!
Tatterhood was a hero, but people still did not understand her. "Why do you look like that?" they asked.
Just then, her donkey turned into a beautiful horse. Her spoon turned into a wand. Her hair became long and her hood became a beautiful dress. "I could be beautiful if I wanted to be." said Tatterhood.
Then she changed back. The people finally understood. She was beautiful inside and outside. She knew that beauty was not the most important thing. We learn an important lesson from this story. We should not judge others by their outside beauty.
Fairy tales have entertained people for a long time. Why do you think fairy tales are so popular? Is it the characters? Is it the magic? Is it the lessons we learn?