Текст книги "The World of Fairy Tales. The Ultramarine Book / Мир волшебных сказок. Синяя книга. Книга для чтения на английском языке"

The World of Fairy Tales. The Ultramarine Book / Мир волшебных сказок. Синяя книга. Книга для чтения на английском языке
 Составление и пересказ Марины Гацкевич

© Гацкевич М. А., 2018

© КАРО, 2018

Hans Christian Andersen
The Ugly Duckling

One lovely spring day, a Mother Duck laid on her nest, keeping her eggs warm. She was a little bit bored sitting on her nest all day long. At last one eggshell after another began to crack open. Soon she had eight fluffy little yellow ducklings. All ducks around said how pretty they were! Only one big egg left and she should sit on and wait when it hatched. At last the big egg cracked and the young creature scrambled out. He was a large grey bird! The Ugly Duckling was so different from the others.

The next day was sunny and warm and Mother Duck took her children for a swim on the pond. All the ducklings swam merrily along with her – even the Ugly Duckling. The kind mother noticed how gracefully he swam along. The other ducks on the pond soon started to tease and peck him and even his brothers and sisters tried to chase him away. So the Ugly Duckling kept away from them. When their mother taught them to swim and dive under the water to catch insects, he always lagged behind. He was very unhappy.

When the ducklings could swim well enough, their mother took them to visit the ducks who lived on the other side of the pond. She swam across the water with the nine little ducklings paddling behind her in a long line. As usual the Ugly Duckling was at the very back. When the ducks saw him they started to laugh at him. So the poor creature ran away and hid in some reeds.

Soon it grew dark. The Ugly Duckling wanted his mother but he couldn't understand where to go. Tired, cold and hungry he came to a small hut. Inside was a kind old lady with a cat and a hen. The nice lady was very sorry for a poor creature and let him stay with them.

The cold days came and passed. Soon the sun shone and the birds started to sing. It was spring again!

One day he saw some swans flying in the blue sky They were so beautiful with their great white wings.

The Ugly Duckling felt a little sad because he could never be so beautiful. He looked down into the water and saw a beautiful white swan just like the others. What a miracle! He was no longer a clumsy duckling but a graceful swan.

Hans Christian Andersen
Thumbelina

Once upon a time there was a woman whose dearest wish was to have a child of her own. One day she decided to ask an old witch for help.

The witch gave her a magic seed and explained that it would grow into a flower. One day the flower opened and there was a little girl not bigger than her thumb. The happy woman decided to call her Thumbelina.

She was a very happy little girl. All day long she played on her mother's table. At night she slept in a tiny bed. This bed was made from a polished walnut shell but one night a terrible thing happened. An old ugly toad kidnapped her and imprisoned her on a lily pad in the middle of a river. The toad wanted a beautiful wife for her ugly son. A kind fish took pity on Thumbelina and bit through the lily stem. The lily pad floated freely down the stream away from the terrible toad.

Suddenly a big beetle saw the tiny Thumbelina and decided to fly off with her. He was very proud of Thumbelina and decided to show his pretty prize to his friends. They didn't like her and said that she was ugly because she didn't have any feelers. At once the beetle lost interest in her and pushed her away. Thumbelina lived alone in the great wood. She ate berries and drank the dew on the leaves. In winter she was cold, hungry and without shelter.

A kind old mouse found Thumbelina and invited her to stay in her house. She was sure that Thumbelina would be a good wife for her old friend Mr. Mole. One day Thumbelina found a dead swallow in one of the dark passages of the mouse's house. Suddenly she noticed that the swallow was still breathing. She brought some water for the bird and started to look after him.

In spring the swallow recovered and was well enough to fly away.

Time passed and the mouse told Thumbelina that she should marry Mr. Mole. Thumbelina was very sad because she didn't want to spend the rest of her life underground.

The next day the swallow came to say goodbye to Thumbelina.

He was going to fly away for winter. The grateful swallow invited Thumbelina to come to Africa with him. Thumbelina didn't hesitate and happily climbed on his back.

The swallow spread his wings and they lifted high into the sky to begin their journey. They journeyed for several days and nights over beautiful countryside and finally arrived at a land full of tiny people just like Thumbelina.

It wasn't long before a handsome prince met Thumbelina and asked her to marry him.

They all lived happily ever after!

Hans Christian Andersen
The Emperor’s New Clothes

Once upon a time there was an Emperor who was fond of clothes. It was terrible but he was ready to spend all his money on different suits. He didn't care about his friends, his kingdom or his family. He liked clothes so much that he changed them every hour of the day

One day two con men arrived in the capital of his kingdom. They told people that they were weavers and promised to make beautiful clothes. They weren't ordinary dressmakers. They claimed that their clothes were invisible to everyone that was stupid or foolish.

One of the emperor's ministers heard this news and told the Emperor about these marvellous clothes. The Emperor couldn't resist trying on these clothes. He was ready to pay a lot of money to the weavers. The weavers pretended to work on the clothes but their looms had nothing on them.

Some time passed and the minister came to look at these mysterious clothes but he couldn't see them. Of course, it was impossible for him to admit to the Emperor that he could not see anything. Soon the Emperor wanted to see the new clothes for himself. He invited the weavers to bring the new clothes to the palace.

The weavers held the clothes up before him but he couldn't see anything. The Emperor didn't wish to seem stupid in front of his people so he pretended he could see the clothes.

The weavers asked the Emperor if he would like to try the new clothes on.

He didn't have any choice but to put these mysterious clothes on.

His ministers complimented him on how lovely and colourful the clothes looked. They didn't want to admit that they couldn't see anything.

It was time to introduce his new suit to the people of his kingdom.

A great procession went along the streets of the capital to show off his new clothes. The proud Emperor walked at the head of this strange procession feeling very proud of his new clothes.

The crowd started to whisper and laugh but nobody dared to tell the Emperor that he was naked. Suddenly a small innocent boy shouted, «Look, the Emperor is naked!»

The embarrassed Emperor suddenly realised the truth. It was a disaster but he couldn't stop the procession so he walked on through the city completely naked.

Hans Christian Andersen
 The Little Mermaid

Once upon a time lived a Sea King who had four clever and beautiful daughters Mermaids. His wonderful palace was far below the sea. The Mermaids liked to hear tales of the world above, but their wise father always warned them it was a dangerous place.

The youngest Mermaid longed to visit the human world but she should wait for some years. Mermaids could only go up above the sea on their fifteenth birthday

At last her fifteenth birthday came and the lovely Mermaid hurried up above the sea. There was a terrible storm. Suddenly she saw a big ship which began to sink. At the helm of the ship the Mermaid noticed a prince who didn't want to give up and tried to reach the shore. Everything happened very quickly and our brave captain turned in the water going to the bottom. The little Mermaid didn't hesitate and dived deeply to save the handsome prince. Very soon she brought him safely to shore, and swam away before anybody could see her.

Day by day the little Mermaid came to shore and waited for her prince. She fell in love with the prince and couldn't live without him. Of course, she knew that Mermaids couldn't marry humans and it made her very unhappy.

The sad Mermaid decided to visit the Sea Witch and ask a wicked lady to make her human. The ugly Witch was ready to help a nice girl but she had only one condition. She wanted to get the little Mermaid's voice for her work. The Sea Witch warned the little Mermaid that she would never talk again and if the prince married another girl she would become foam on the wave. The nice girl didn't have any choice and agreed at once. After it she drank some magic potion and turned into a human.

Next morning, the prince found a beautiful stranger on the palace steps. The girl wasn't able to say anything but they became great friends. Very soon the little Mermaid found out that the prince loved another princess who lived in a far-away country.

What could the little Mermaid do? She knew that she couldn't return home and missed her family very much.

One day, an invitation arrived from the princess who lived far away. The prince was full of happiness and invited the little Mermaid to go to the distant kingdom with him. He rushed to his wonderful princess and looked forward to seeing his sweetheart. They didn't want to separate for a while and could talk for hours. Very soon the happy couple married.

The little Mermaid knew that all her efforts were in vain. So she walked into the sea and her body turned into foam. The kind prince and his bride spent hours looking for the silent beauty. They missed their good friend who came mysteriously to their lives and just mysteriously disappeared forever.

Hans Christian Andersen
The Emperor’s Nightingale

This news reached the ears of the Emperor himself. He flew in rage and demanded to take this creature to the palace. In a flash his servants rushed to the ancient tree ready to catch and bring the magical bird to the emperor's hall. Very soon a cage with a little grey bird was placed in front of him and the plain creature started to sing.

The song of the nightingale was so sweet that our rough Emperor burst into tears immediately. The birds voice touched everyones heart and the nightingale became a star.

All citizens only talked about the magical bird and he became the main sight of the country.

One day, the Emperor received a big parcel with a mechanical nightingale inside. It sang like a real nightingale and was covered with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. The Emperor decided to compare which of them was better. But the duet sounded quite wrong because the real nightingale sang from natural inspiration and couldn’t match the artificial toy.

The mechanical bird could sing for many hours without becoming bit tired. The silly Emperor chose a toy and ordered to chase the real nightingale away. Every day the Emperor enjoyed listening to wonderful songs. He couldn’t imagine his evening before going to bed without these concerts. One evening listening to his favourite song he suddenly heard some crack and his beloved bird stopped to sing forever.

After this terrible event the Emperor’s life changed completely. He couldn’t sleep and eat, he even fell ill and was going to die. The old Emperor lay pale and cold in his bed. He opened his eyes and saw Death. The frightened Emperor understood that it was his end when he suddenly heard a delightful song.

It was the little nightingale from the park who sat trilling on a branch. The nice creature sang so beautifully that in a flash the Emperor forgot about his death and illness completely. The old man was full of energy. The happy Emperor burst into tears but they were tears of happiness and pleasure.

The grateful Emperor understood his mistake and asked the bird to forgive him. The kind bird only wanted to make people happy singing her songs and the Emperor’s tears of happiness were the main reward.

The clever nightingale promised to visit his friend Emperor and sing to him about good and evil things, about everything what happened in his Empire.

A moment later, the courtiers and servants came to see the Emperor for the last time. You can’t imagine how they were surprised when the Emperor sat up and wished them to have a good day.

Hans Christian Andersen
The Little Lead Soldier

Once upon a time there lived a family, a mother, a father and their two nice children, a son and a daughter. One day, a boy had a birthday and as a present he received twenty-five lead soldiers. They looked like brothers, brave and proud. The lead soldiers had guns and their uniforms were painted red and blue.

The boy lined them on the table. All the soldiers were the same, except for one who had only one leg. There were also many other toys on the table. The most remarkable was a cardboard castle. Through the windows the kids could see the rooms of the castle. The rooms were furnished and looked very pretty. Outside the castle, there were trees which looked like real and a castle moat made from a mirror. Two magnificent swans glided on the castle moat.

The kids could spend hours playing with their toys and even telling magical fairy tales. The girl especially liked a little ballerina who stood by the castle gate. She was made of cardboard, too. The little dancer wore a tutu and a blue scarf. She stretched her arms above her head like a real ballerina on the stage. The maiden held one of her legs so high that the one-legged little lead soldier couldn't see it. He supposed that the girl had only one leg like him. The little lead soldier was sure that the dancer would be a perfect wife for him. Every night, when the house was quiet our little brave soldier dreamed of her.

One night, on the last stroke of midnight, there was a click. It was an ugly Jack-in-the-box. He popped out from his box and started to threaten the little lead soldier The ugly Jack liked the ballerina too and didn't need any rivals. But the little soldier just pretended not to hear his loud threats.

The next morning, when the children got up they placed the lead soldier on the windowsill. Suddenly the window opened and the soldier fell head first from the third floor to the paving stones. The boy rushed immediately to fetch his nice toy but he couldn't find him. Soon the heavy rain started and the stream carried our little lead soldier far away.

After the storm, two boys from the street passed by and saw the lead soldier. At once they had an idea to make a boat from an old newspaper and put the lead soldier in it. The boat sailed fast down the stream and the boys ran after it shouting joyfully. Suddenly the boat with the little lead soldier disappeared down the drain. The current was taking the boat towards the river where a huge fish swallowed the poor lead soldier. It was very dark inside but he wasn't frightened and stayed quite. There wasn't any choice, only wait and hope for luck.

Suddenly, the lead soldier saw the light and a loud voice. The cook was very surprised to find him in the fish's sto mach. You can believe or not but it was a kitchen of his house where his beloved ballerina lived. It was a real miracle, the little lead soldier could see her again!

So the cook took the little soldier to the sitting room. At once, he recognised the children and was very happy to see them.

Then, suddenly, and for no reason at all, the boy caught the little soldier and threw him in the fire. The lead soldier could feel himself melting. Little by little he lost his shape, but he continued to look at his sweetheart, a little ballerina. At this moment the ballerina was caught in a draught and flew into the fire, next to the soldier. In a flash, she disappeared into the flames.

The next morning, when the servant swept the ashes, she found a little lead heart and a sequin which were black as coal.

Charles Perrault
Cinderella

The day of the ball arrived and Cinderella kindly helped her stepsisters to dress.

She polished their shoes, brushed their hair and ironed their dresses. The stepmother and her ugly daughters left the house for the palace but Cinderella as usual had a lot of work at home. She sat by the fire and began to cry. She wanted to wear a beautiful dress and dance all night.

Suddenly Cinderella heard some voice. She looked up and saw a very beautiful lady carrying a magic wand. It was her kind Fairy Godmother. She knew how much Cinderella wanted to go to the ball and her Goddaughter deserved a lot.

She asked Cinderella to fetch a pumpkin in the garden, six mice, six lizards and a rat. The Fairy Godmother waved her magic wand. The pumpkin turned into a coach, led by the mice who turned into beautiful horses. The lizards became footmen and were dressed in green. The rat was now a jolly coachman. The Fairy Godmother touched Cinderella’s rags with her wand. In a flash, the girl was dressed in a wonderful ball-gown of silver and gold. The Fairy Godmother warned Cinderella that all the magic would run out at midnight.

At the palace Cinderella was greeted like a princess but no one knew who she was. The prince only had eyes for her and they danced all evening. Cinderella was very sad to hear the clock strike quarter-to-twelve, but she hurried away from the glittering ballroom without even saying goodbye to the prince. She ran down the stairs and lost a glass slipper.

When the clock struck midnight, Cinderella was outside the palace dressed in her rags again. She had only one glass slipper.

The prince found a glass slipper on the stairs and understood that he was in love. He wanted to see only her and couldn’t imagine his life without a lovely kind girl. He was going to marry. It was terrible but he even didn’t know her name.

The happy prince sent messengers to all parts of his kingdom. All the ladies should try on a glass slipper. When a royal servant came to Cinderella’s house, her cruel stepsisters tried it on. But in vain, their feet were much too big. The servant asked them if anyone else lived there. «Only Cinderella», scoffed the sisters.

But the prince’s servant invited her to sit down and slipped it on her foot. The slipper fitted perfectly! Cinderella took the second slipper out of her apron’s pocket and put it on.

The cruel stepsisters begged Cinderella to forgive them for being so mean, which of course, she did.

Then she was taken to the prince and soon after they were married and lived happily for many many years together.

Charles Perrault
Puss in Boots

Once upon a time there lived a miller who had three sons. When he died, all he left them was his mill, his donkey and his cat. Soon the brothers divided all the treasures. The eldest son got a mill, the second-eldest took the donkey and the youngest son could own only a cat. It was unfair and the youngest son was ready to cry when his cat came up to him and asked only to obey him. The clever cat needed a big sack and a pair of good strong boots. The young man was surprised but gave everything to the cat. The sly cat put on his boots, took the big sack and went to the forest. There he lay down on the ground, pretended to be dead and waited.

Soon a curious rabbit came along and decided to check what was in the sack. The cat pulled the strings tight and the rabbit was trapped inside. Great! Puss was very proud of himself, but it was only the small part of his plan.

Now the resourceful Puss went straight to the king’s palace with a rabbit as a gift. The king was pleased to get a rabbit from the cat’s master, Marquess of Carabas. On the next day, the clever Puss hid in a field and managed to catch a partridge. The king was surprised to see a Puss in boots again with a gift but took a partridge with great pleasure. Day by day Puss came to the palace and the king was very delighted with the gifts from Marquess of Carabas.

One day, Puss heard that the king was going for a drive with his daughter, the most beautiful princess in the world. The wise Puss knew that it was a great chance to realise his plan to make his master a rich man.

So Puss asked the master to bathe in the river while the king was passing by. Suddenly Puss started to shout loudly and ask for help, «Help! Help! The Marquess of Carabas is drowning!»

The king recognised the cat and ordered his servants to save the Marquess. The cunning Puss explained to the trustful king that the robbers had stolen all his master’s clothes. The kind king immediately ordered to bring the best clothes for the Marquess.

So the young man was dressed like a prince and looked very handsome. It was the first time when he saw a wonderful princess and fell madly in love with her. It was unbelievable but the princess fell in love at the first sight, too. The polite king invited the Marquess of Carabas to his palace for a meal.

Our resourceful Puss rushed ahead all along the way.

Passing by the field he ordered the workers mowing the grass to tell the king that the field belonged to the Marquess of Carabas. He promised to make mincemeat out of them if they didn’t obey him. You can believe or not but they obeyed and said it.

Rushing by the cornfield, Puss ordered the farmers to say to the king that all the wheat in the field belonged to the Marquess of Carabas and they also obeyed! Really the king wasn't a greedy man but he was surprised how rich the Marquess of Carabas was.

Finally, Puss reached a magnificent castle which was owned by a very rich giant. Luckily, the giant was silly and a real boaster and it helped our Puss very much. The giant had a very unbelievable ability to change himself into the shape of all sorts of animals. First Puss asked the giant to change himself into a lion and the giant did. Only one thing helped Puss to avoid a terrible death, he hid on the roof.

Then Puss asked the giant to turn into a mouse and it was the end of the giant.

He was eaten immediately by our quick Puss.

When the king reached the castle Puss in Boots was meeting great guests at the gate. He welcomed them at the castle of Marquess of Carabas where a magnificent feast followed.

Very soon the young happy people married and enjoyed their life for many years. The wise Puss sometimes chased mice just to amuse himself.