Long ago, a kind girl lived with her stepmother and two stepsisters.
When her chores were done, she rested by the hearth. Grey ash dusted her cheeks, so they called her Cinderella.
She shared her warm milk with the garden mice.
Cinderella and the Glass Slipper
A soft, sparkly retelling of Charles Perrault’s 1697 fairy tale. Cinderella is kind even when her sisters are bossy, and the story ends with a hug, a sorry and a cosy goodnight.
The king’s son invited everyone to a ball. Cinderella helped her bossy sisters tie their bows.
“Can I come too?” she asked. “No! You’re all dusty,” giggled the sisters.
When they left, Cinderella had a little cry.
A little light twinkled. There stood her fairy godmother, with a willow wand.
“You shall go to the ball,” she smiled.
Tap! A pumpkin became a golden coach. Six mice became dappled grey horses. A friendly rat became a whiskery coachman. Six lizards became footmen.
Tap! Her dusty dress became a gown of gold and silver, with glass slippers.
“When the clock says midnight, the magic will end,” said her godmother.
“Thank you!” said Cinderella, and gave her a big hug.
At the palace, everyone looked. Even her sisters did not know her!
The prince asked her to dance. Round and round they twirled.
He gave her oranges and lemons, and she shared them with her sisters. Before midnight, she hurried home.
The next night, Cinderella danced so happily she forgot the time.
Bong! Midnight! She hurried away, and one glass slipper slipped off. The prince picked it up.
At home, her gown was a plain dress again. But the other slipper was in her pocket.
A palace gentleman took the slipper to every house.
Javotte tried it. Too small! The younger sister tried it. Too small!
“May I try?” asked Cinderella. Her sisters giggled in surprise. It fit just right! She took the other slipper from her pocket. Tap! Her godmother made her gown shine again.
Her sisters said sorry for being bossy. Cinderella hugged them both. “Let’s be friends,” she said.
She married the kind prince. Her sisters came to live at the palace too.
That night, everyone slept snug and warm. Goodnight.
the end
let’s play: kind hands
- Name one kind thing Cinderella did in the story.
- Think of one kind thing you can do today, like sharing a snack or helping tidy up.
- Do it together, then give each other a big hug.
talk about it
- What kind things did Cinderella do?
- How do you think Cinderella felt when her sisters said she couldn’t come?
- What did the sisters say at the end, and what did Cinderella do?
- What helps you feel better after someone is bossy?
for grown-ups
What this story helps with: Kindness matters, even when others are unkind, and forgiving can make a family happy again.
This story practises kindness that doesn’t depend on others being kind back, and forgiving someone who says sorry. In Perrault’s tale Cinderella has lost her mother, she sleeps on straw and the mice are caught in traps; here she simply lives with her stepmother and sisters, the mice are garden friends, and the sisters are bossy rather than mocking. Perrault already ends with forgiveness, so we kept it. Afterwards, you could talk about a time someone said sorry to your child, and how it felt to make friends again.
Retold from: Cendrillon, ou la petite pantoufle de verre, Charles Perrault (Histoires ou contes du temps passé) (1697). The tale is in the public domain; our words and pictures are new, and gentler for little ones. This is an independent retelling, not affiliated with or endorsed by any publisher, studio or trade mark owner connected with the tale or its later versions.
sources we checked
Written and illustrated by the wishyou.today team. Every story is checked for age, kindness, safety and facts before it is published. Spotted something? Tell us on Instagram.
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