The Little Good Mouse facts for kids

The Little Good Mouse is a French fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. It's a classic story that was also included by Andrew Lang in his famous collection, The Red Fairy Book. This tale is about a kind queen, a magical mouse, and a brave princess.

The Story of The Little Good Mouse

Once upon a time, there was a happy king and queen who loved each other very much. Their happiness spread throughout their kingdom. But a cruel king nearby heard about their joy. He attacked their land. The good king went to fight him but sadly lost his life in the battle. The cruel king then captured the queen.

A Queen in Trouble

The queen was going to have a baby. The cruel king threatened to harm her and her child. However, he secretly planned to marry her baby, if it was a girl, to his own son. He asked a fairy about the queen's child. The fairy told him the baby would be a beautiful and talented daughter. The cruel king warned that if this wasn't true, he would harm both the queen and her baby.

The Magical Mouse Appears

One night, a little mouse came into the queen's prison cell. It danced and made her smile. Even though the queen only received three peas to eat each day, she kindly gave one to the mouse. In return, she found delicious food, like a cooked partridge, on her table! This way, she exchanged peas for better meals. But she was still worried about her unborn child.

The queen saw the mouse playing with straw. She got an idea and began to weave a small basket and a rope from the straw. She planned to lower her baby to safety once it was born. One day, an old woman appeared. She offered to help the queen, but only if the queen would give her the mouse to eat. The queen loved the mouse and refused. The old woman left angrily.

A Princess is Born

Soon, the queen's baby was born. She named her Joliette. The queen prepared to lower Joliette in the straw basket. The little mouse jumped into the basket with the baby. The queen told the mouse that if she had sacrificed it, she might have saved her baby. Suddenly, the mouse changed! It turned into the fairy who had spoken to the cruel king. The fairy promised to take care of the child.

The fairy lowered baby Joliette down the rope. Then, the fairy, disguised as a mouse, climbed down the rope too. But then, something went wrong! The fairy, still as a mouse, quickly climbed back up. The cruel king's enemy had stolen the princess!

The Queen Escapes

Meanwhile, the jailer told the cruel king that the baby was born. The king came to the cell. The queen told him that a fairy had taken the baby. The king was furious. He took the queen to the woods, planning to harm her. But the fairy made the queen invisible, and they both escaped.

Joliette Grows Up

Fifteen years passed. The queen and the fairy heard a strange rumor: the cruel king's son was going to marry a turkey herder! They went to see. They found the prince, who was not very handsome, arguing with the turkey herder. She was beautiful, and her turkeys were stepping all over the jewels and fancy clothes the prince had given her.

The fairy talked with the turkey herder. She quickly realized that this beautiful girl was actually Princess Joliette! The fairy dressed Joliette in lovely clothes and went to tell the queen the good news.

The cruel king heard that the turkey herder was refusing to marry his son. He sent his soldiers to bring her to him. The soldiers were amazed to see her dressed so grandly. They brought her to the king, who ordered her to love his son. Joliette bravely refused. So, they decided to lock her up in a tower.

A Happy Ending

That night, the magical mouse crept into the bedrooms of the cruel king and his son. It bit them while they slept. When they woke up, they were so angry that they started fighting each other. In their rage, they ended up killing each other!

The fairy then freed Princess Joliette. She spoke to the people of the kingdom. They were happy to accept Joliette as their new queen. The fairy then brought a handsome prince for Joliette to marry. They got married and lived happily ever after, ruling their kingdom with kindness.