Disney Book Group. Cinderella: The Story of Cinderella. Los Angeles, California, Disney Press, 2016.
Cinderella lived a happy life with her parents, but fate led her to live with her stepmother and stepdaughters after her parents died. The stepfamily turns Cinderella into a maid as she does all the house chores. The king decides to invite all eligible girls in the kingdom for a royal ball to ensure the prince chooses a suitable bride. Cinderella stands no chance of attending the royal dance since she has no dresses and is shabby. However, her fairy godmother turns her into a princess, and she attends the dance. The prince is stricken by her beauty which wears off at midnight, thus leaving Cinderella to face the wrath of her stepfamily. The moral of the story encompasses the importance of beauty in a woman’s life since the prince would only choose the fairest of the girls in the dance. In addition, kindness and bravery in taking chances are upheld as critical aspects in life.
Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm K. Grimm. Snow White. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1991.
The plot begins when the queen discovers that Snow White, her stepdaughter, was regarded as the fairest of them all in the land. The queen was consumed with anger and resent thus plotted to kill Snow White by enlisting a woodchopper. The woodsman is unable to kill Snow White but exiles her into the dangerous forest. Snow White is rescued by seven dwarfs who welcome her into their home after she offers to cook and clean. The queen learns of Snow White’s whereabouts thus decides to kill her by disguising herself as an old hag and poisoning her with a tainted apple. The dwarfs stand guard over Snow White’s body until a handsome man restores her life with a kiss. The primary idea in the story is that physical attractiveness is critical to a woman’s life. The social construction of beauty is something that all women should strive to achieve since it improves their social status.
Evans, Charles Seddon. The Sleeping Beauty. Lulu. Com, 2008.
After the beautiful Princess Aurora is born into the royal family, everyone gathers to celebrate the news. However, an evil fairy is snubbed by the royal family and places a curse on the princess. The wicked fairy curses the young princess and states that she will die by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel before sunset on her 16th birthday. Fortunately, Merryweather, one of the good fairies, alters the spell such that the princess will fall into a deep sleep instead of death. The only way to lift the curse was through a true love kiss by a prince. The story’s main idea is that feminine beauty is classified as an essential aspect since the princess was cursed due to her beauty. In addition, beauty is also considered as a gateway for true love since the prince fell in love with the princess’s beauty.
Isadora, Rachel. “Rapunzel.” Www.goodreads.com, 2008, www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/5069343-rapunzel. Accessed 1 Nov. 2021.
Rapunzel is the story of a beautiful young girl imprisoned from birth in a tower by a witch. Rapunzel’s connection to the outside world is her long brown hair which she flings out of her window when a young prince visits her at night. Rapunzel allows the prince to climb her long hair, thus establishing a connection. The witch discovers the young prince visits Rapunzel, thus cutting her long hair and blinding the young prince. They were separated for many years but eventually found each other again and lived happily after. The central theme of the story is the struggle for independence and love. The young prince and Rapunzel were persistent in their intentions of living together despite all obstacles. The witch tried everything to separate them, but love won in the end.
Lazar, Tara, and Troy Cummings. Little Red Gliding Hood. New York, Scholastic, 2016.
Little Red Gliding Hood is an ice skater set on winning new pair of skates in a skating competition. Her old skates are worn out; thus, she was afraid she would forfeit her weekly visits to her grandmother. The problem is she does not have a partner for the competition. Little Red finds an ally in Big Bad Wolf who rescues her after he had frightened her and taken a spill. Big Bad Wolf compliments her prowess and points out he has worn-out skates. Big Bad Wolf and Red team up at the competition and eventually win the competition. The story’s central theme is obedience towards parents and never trust strangers. The Red Hood projects her innocence to the world and suffers consequences of the decision.
Lang, Andrew. “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” Storynory, 2006, www.storynory.com/goldilocks-and-the-three-bears/.
The plot begins when Goldilocks, a young girl, goes for a walk in the forest and comes upon a house. She enters the house and proceeds to eat one bowl of porridge whose temperature was mild. She proceeds to the living room, finds three chairs, and settles for one of the chairs, which breaks. Goldilocks then proceeds to the bedroom and sleeps on one bed that is not too hard or soft. The family of bears returned home and found Goldilocks resting on their bed. The bears are angry as Goldilocks had eaten up their porridge and broke one chair; thus, she jumps and runs away. The moral of the story is the need to respect the privacy and property of other people. Goldilocks was self-centric as she tried all three bowls of porridge, chairs, and beds without thinking about the consequences of her actions.
Watts, Bernadette, et al. Hansel and Gretel. New York, Northsouth Books, 2018.
Hansel and Gretel were raised by a poor woodcutter who remarried an evil stepmother. The stepmother persuaded the children’s father to abandon the children in the forest. Hansel leaves pebbles and bread crumbs along the way but is lost on the second trip. They wander in the forest and find a house whose exterior was made of sweets and gingerbread. The children begin eating the sweets when an older woman opens the door and invites them inside. However, the older woman turns out to be a witch who imprisons them. They kill the witch and reunite with their father. The central theme of the story is not to trust strangers regardless of their intentions. In addition, gender roles play a part where Hansel is responsible for her sister, thus leaving a trail to head home.
De, Leprince, et al. Beauty and the Beast. Great Britain, the Planet, 2015.
A young, self-centered prince and his castle servants are cursed by an enchantress who turns him into a hideous beast until he learns how to love and be loved before a magical rose loses all of its petals. A young maiden, Belle, takes the place of his imprisoned father in the castle. Belle falls in love with the prince as she appreciates his efforts in looking after her. Belle returns home with his father and fondly speaks of the beast. The villagers organize a lynching where the beast is wounded. However, Belle confesses her love for the beast, and the curse is broken. The moral of the story is that a person’s beauty comes from the heart and not his appearance. The outer appearance of the beast did not prevent Belle from loving him as appearances do not reflect the heart desires.
Davidson, Susanna, et al. The Frog Prince. London, Usborne, 2013.
A princess had dropped her golden ball into a pod thus was crying at the pod side. A frog inquired why she was crying, and she promised to do anything if he would get it for her. The frog retrieved the ball and asked to be his friend and live in the castle. The princess was initially reluctant, but she took him to the castle and transformed him into a prince. The prince and princess married and lived happily ever after. The moral of the story is not to judge people at first glance since what is on the inside does not usually equate to what is on the outside.
Arengo, Sue, and Michelle Lamoreaux. The Princess and the Pea. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2015.
A prince wanted to verify that he was marrying an actual princess, thus testing the suitor’s claims. The prince placed peas beneath 20 mattresses and featherbeds as only a princess would be sensitive to feel the small pea. The princess said she did not sleep in the morning since there was something hard pressing on her back. The prince married the princess and lived happily ever after. The moral of the story is that people should not judge others based on their appearance since the first impressions are not always right.
Works Cited
Arengo, Sue, and Michelle Lamoreaux. The Princess and the Pea. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2015.
Davidson, Susanna, et al. The Frog Prince. London, Usborne, 2013.
De, Leprince, et al. Beauty and the Beast. Great Britain, the Planet, 2015.
Disney Book Group. Cinderella: The Story of Cinderella. Los Angeles, California, Disney Press, 2016.
Evans, Charles Seddon. The Sleeping Beauty. Lulu. Com, 2008.
Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm K. Grimm. Snow White. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1991.
Isadora, Rachel. “Rapunzel.” Www.goodreads.com, 2008, www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/5069343-rapunzel. Accessed 1 Nov. 2021.
Lang, Andrew. “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” Storynory, 2006, www.storynory.com/goldilocks-and-the-three-bears/.
Lazar, Tara, and Troy Cummings. Little Red Gliding Hood. New York, Scholastic, 2016.
Watts, Bernadette, et al. Hansel and Gretel. New York, Northsouth Books, 2018.
