What is the moral of The Frog Prince?

Keep your promises, and don't look down on someone who helped you when you needed it, even if you don't like how they look. The king makes the princess keep her word.

Does the princess kiss the frog in The Frog Prince?

Not in the Grimm original. The princess throws the frog at the wall in anger, and when he falls down he is a prince. The kiss comes from later retellings, which many picture books and cartoons use today.

Who wrote The Frog Prince?

It is the first tale in the Brothers Grimm's Children's and Household Tales, published in 1812. Its full German title means The Frog King, or Iron Henry.

The Frog Prince Story

Ages 3–7
English audio 3 min
Mandarin audio 6 min

The Frog Prince is a classic story from Grimms' Fairy Tales, for children aged 3–7. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 3 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 6 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.

A frog fetches the princess's golden ball, and the king makes her keep her promise. The first Grimm tale. With native English narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.

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Read The Frog Prince

Long ago, there was a king. His youngest daughter was very beautiful. Near the castle there was a dark forest, and in the forest there was a deep well.

On hot days, the princess sat by the well and played with her golden ball. Up it went, and she caught it. Up it went, and she caught it. But one day she did not catch it. Splash! The ball fell into the well. The well was very deep. The princess began to cry.

"Why are you crying?" asked a voice. It was a frog. "My golden ball is in the well," said the princess. "I can get it for you," said the frog. "But you must be my friend. I want to eat from your little plate and sleep in your little bed." "Yes, yes," said the princess. But she thought, "A frog can't be my friend!"

The frog dived down and came back with the ball. The princess took it and ran home. "Wait for me!" called the frog. But she did not wait.

The next day, the princess was having dinner with the king. Knock, knock! "Princess, open the door!" It was the frog. The princess shut the door fast.

"What is wrong?" asked the king. The princess told him. "You made a promise," said the king. "You must keep it." So the frog came in. He sat at the table and ate from her plate.

"Now I am tired," said the frog. "Take me to your bed." The princess did not want to. "He helped you," said the king. "Don't be unkind to him now."

In her room, the frog said, "Let me sleep in your bed, or I will tell your father." The princess got very angry. She picked up the frog and threw him at the wall. But when he fell down, he was not a frog. He was a prince with kind eyes! A witch had put a spell on him.

The next morning, a coach with eight white horses came. On the back stood the prince's servant, Faithful Henry. When the prince became a frog, Henry was so sad that he put three iron bands around his heart. On the way, there was a loud crack. "Is the coach breaking?" asked the prince. "No," said Henry. "It is a band around my heart." Crack! Crack! All three bands broke, because Henry was so happy.

The Chinese version: 青蛙王子

很久很久以前，有一位国王，他最小的女儿长得特别美，连天上的太阳每次照到她的脸，都要惊奇一下。王宫旁边有一片幽暗的大森林，森林里一棵老椴树下面，有一口很深很深的井。

天热的时候，小公主就跑到井边，坐在凉凉的井沿上，玩她最心爱的金球。抛上去，接住；抛上去，接住。有一次，她没接住，金球“扑通”一声掉进了井里。井那么深，一眼望不到底。小公主哭了起来，越哭越伤心。

忽然，有个声音说：“公主，你怎么哭得这么伤心呀？”她抬头一看，一只青蛙从水里探出了又大又丑的脑袋。“我的金球掉进井里了。”青蛙说：“我能帮你捞上来。可是你拿什么谢我呢？”“我的衣服、珍珠、宝石，还有我头上的金冠，你要什么都行。”

青蛙说：“那些我都不要。我想做你的朋友，跟你一起玩，坐在你身边，用你的小金盘子吃饭，用你的小杯子喝水，睡在你的小床上。你答应了，我就去捞。”公主心想：一只青蛙，怎么能跟人做朋友呢？就随口说：“好，我答应你。”

青蛙一头钻进水里，不一会儿就把金球衔了上来。公主捡起金球，转身就跑。“等等我！我跑不了那么快！”青蛙在后面呱呱地叫，可是公主连头也没回。

第二天，公主正和国王一起吃饭，只听见“啪嗒，啪嗒”，有什么东西爬上了大理石台阶，接着“咚咚咚”地敲门：“小公主，快开门！你忘了昨天在井边说的话了吗？”公主开门一看，是那只青蛙，“砰”地又把门关上了，心怦怦直跳。

国王问她怎么了，公主只好把事情讲了一遍。国王说：“答应别人的事，就一定要做到。去开门吧。”青蛙跳进来，跳上椅子，又跳上桌子：“把你的小金盘子推近一点，我们一起吃。”公主皱着眉头推过去，自己却一口也咽不下。

吃完饭，青蛙说：“我困了，带我去你的小床上睡觉吧。”公主怕这只凉冰冰的青蛙，又哭了。国王生气了：“你有难的时候，是它帮了你，现在可不能看不起它。”公主只好用两根手指捏起青蛙，把它放在房间的角落里。

公主刚躺下，青蛙就爬过来说：“我也要睡在床上，不然我就告诉你爸爸。”公主一下子气坏了，抓起青蛙，朝墙那边使劲一扔：“这下你总该安静了吧，讨厌的青蛙！”可是青蛙一落下来，就变成了一位王子，眼睛亮亮的，笑容很温和。

原来，王子被一个坏心眼的女巫施了魔法，只有小公主能把他从井里救出来。后来，按照国王的心愿，他们成了好朋友，又结了婚。

第二天早上，一辆八匹白马拉的马车来接他们。车后站着王子忠心的仆人亨利。王子变成青蛙以后，亨利难过得怕心会碎掉，就在胸口箍了三道铁箍。马车走在路上，王子听见身后“咔嚓”一声：“亨利，车子坏了吗？”“不是车子，主人，是我心上的铁箍断了。”一路上又响了两声“咔嚓”，三道铁箍全断了，因为亨利的主人终于回来了，他太高兴了。

The Frog Prince Story: the moral of the story

Keep your promises, even the ones that turn out to be hard. And don't look down on someone who helped you just because of how they look.

Chinese words in The Frog Prince

Play the Chinese narration and listen for these words. The pinyin shows the tones.

青蛙qīng wā
frog
王子wáng zǐ
prince
公主gōng zhǔ
princess
国王guó wáng
king
金球jīn qiú
golden ball
井jǐng
well
答应dā ying
to promise, to agree
铁箍tiě gū
iron band

Bedtime storytelling tips

When the frog comes to the door, knock three times on the headboard, then say "Princess, open the door!" in a croaky voice.
After the king says "You made a promise. You must keep it," pause and ask your child about a promise they made, and whether they kept it.
At the end, have your child clap for each "Crack!" as Henry's iron bands break. The Chinese version has the same three cracks, 咔嚓 (kā chā).

Things to talk about afterwards

What did the princess promise the frog? Why didn't she want to keep her promise?
Why did the king tell her not to be unkind to the frog?
Why did the iron bands around Henry's heart break?

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The Frog Prince Story: common questions

What is the moral of The Frog Prince?: Keep your promises, and don't look down on someone who helped you when you needed it, even if you don't like how they look. The king makes the princess keep her word.
Does the princess kiss the frog in The Frog Prince?: Not in the Grimm original. The princess throws the frog at the wall in anger, and when he falls down he is a prince. The kiss comes from later retellings, which many picture books and cartoons use today.
Who wrote The Frog Prince?: It is the first tale in the Brothers Grimm's Children's and Household Tales, published in 1812. Its full German title means The Frog King, or Iron Henry.
Who is Iron Henry in The Frog Prince?: Henry, also called Faithful Henry, is the prince's servant. When the prince was turned into a frog, Henry was so sad that he put three iron bands around his heart. When the prince comes home, all three bands break, one after another, because Henry is so happy.

Source and how we retold it

From the Brothers Grimm, Children's and Household Tales, no. 1, Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich (The Frog King, or Iron Henry), first published in 1812 and now in the public domain. Our retelling follows the Grimm plot and keeps its original ending: the princess does not kiss the frog. She throws him at the wall in anger, and when he falls down he is a prince again. We do not describe the frog hitting the wall. The ending with the faithful servant Henry and the three iron bands around his heart is also kept.

The narration on this page is AI-generated: the English is read by 英伦绅士 and the Chinese by 温柔妈妈. The audio files are labeled as AI-generated.

If you liked The Frog Prince Story, there are more stories in Grimms' Fairy Tales. You can also read this one to your child in your own voice.