The Little Green Frog facts for kids

The Little Green Frog (in French, La Petite Grenouille Verte) is a classic French fairy tale. It was first published in a collection called the Cabinet des Fées. A famous writer named Andrew Lang also included it in his book, The Yellow Fairy Book. This story is about a prince who goes on a quest and meets a magical green frog.

The Story of The Little Green Frog

Once upon a time, there were two kings, King Peridor and King Diamantino. They were cousins and lived next to each other. Fairies watched over them. King Diamantino treated his wife, Queen Aglantino, very badly. Because of this, the fairies decided he could no longer live. His baby daughter, Princess Serpentine, was next in line to the throne. Since she was so young, Queen Aglantino became the ruler.

King Peridor loved his wife very much. But he was often careless and didn't think things through. As a punishment, the fairies let his wife pass away. His only comfort was his son, Prince Saphir.

Prince Saphir's Magical Mirror

The fairies placed a special mirror in Prince Saphir's room. When he looked into it, he didn't see himself. Instead, he saw the face of a beautiful girl. Prince Saphir fell in love with this girl from the mirror.

After a year, he noticed something new. The girl in the mirror also had a similar mirror! He couldn't see the person reflected in her mirror, but he felt very jealous.

The King's Illness and a Mysterious Bird

Over time, King Peridor became very sad about his wife. He grew so ill that everyone worried he might die. One day, a beautiful, colorful bird appeared at his window. When he saw the bird, King Peridor suddenly felt much better. But then, the bird flew away and vanished.

The king offered a huge reward to anyone who could find the bird. Many people searched, but no one could find it. So, Prince Saphir decided to go on a quest himself to find the mysterious bird.

The Little Green Frog's Help

Prince Saphir traveled into a forest. He became very thirsty and found a fountain. He took out his cup to drink, but a little green frog kept jumping into his cup. The frog then spoke to him! It told him to drink and then talk to it, because it knew where the bird was.

The frog told Prince Saphir to go to a certain castle. It gave him a grain of sand and told him to place it in front of the castle gates. This would make everyone inside fall asleep. He was to go straight to the stable and take a horse.

Prince Saphir followed the instructions. He reached the horse, but then he thought, "This horse needs a harness too!" When he touched the harness, everyone in the castle woke up. The lord of the castle liked Prince Saphir and let him go. Prince Saphir returned to the little green frog.

More Tasks from the Frog

Prince Saphir convinced the frog that he was truly sorry for not following directions exactly. The frog then sent him back to the castle with a grain of gold. This time, he was told to find a specific room and take a maiden (a young woman) from there, even if she resisted.

Prince Saphir obeyed until the maiden asked to put on a dress first. This small delay woke everyone up again! Only because the fairies helped him was Prince Saphir able to escape.

The frog sent him back one more time, this time with a tiny grain of diamond. It told him to find the garden and cut off the branch where the bird he sought was sitting. This time, Prince Saphir followed the instructions perfectly.

The Princess Revealed

When Prince Saphir returned with the bird, he found a small, charming palace. Inside, he saw the very maiden he had seen in his magical mirror! She told him that she had admired him for a long time but never thought he could see her.

She then revealed a big secret: she had been the little green frog! Her name was Serpentine, and she didn't know anything about her family. She said that fairies had raised her. She refused to marry Prince Saphir because he was a prince and she couldn't name her family.

A Happy Ending

Just then, a fairy appeared. She told them the whole truth and brought Queen Aglantino, Serpentine's mother, to them. The fairy then magically carried Prince Saphir, Princess Serpentine, and Queen Aglantino to King Peridor's castle.

The mysterious bird turned out to be a fairy named Constance. Prince Saphir and Princess Serpentine were soon married, and everyone lived happily ever after.

The Mysterious Bird

The role of the mysterious bird, Constance, in this story is a bit unclear. It seems to connect to other myths or related tales. The bird doesn't quite fit as a fairy or a gem, but it definitely adds to the magical feeling of the story.

Experts who study folklore, like Johannes Bolte and Jiri Polivka, have noticed that this tale is similar to other European fairy tales. It's often grouped with stories classified as Aarne-Thompson-Uther (ATU) 550, which is known as "The Quest for the Golden Bird."

Even the famous Brothers Grimm, who collected many fairy tales, thought that La petite grenouille vert was "visibly related" to their own story, "The Golden Bird".