Once upon a time, there was a princess who had a shiny golden ball. It was her favourite toy in the whole wide world. Every afternoon she took it out to the palace garden, where an old stone well stood under a big linden tree. She tossed the ball up high and caught it. Up, catch! Up, catch!
One day she tossed it a little too high. The ball bounced off the edge of the well, boing, and plopped into the water. Splash! The princess peeked over the edge, but the water was deep and her ball was gone. "Oh no, my golden ball!" she wailed.
"Ribbit! Why are you crying, Princess?" A little green frog popped his head out of the water. He had big round eyes and a wide, friendly grin.
"My golden ball fell in the well," sniffed the princess.
"I can fetch it for you," said the frog. "But will you do something for me? It's a bit lonely down here. Will you be my friend? Will you let me sit next to you at dinner, eat from your little golden plate, and hear a story at bedtime?"
"Yes, yes, I promise!" said the princess, but she was only thinking about her ball. The frog dived down, bloop, and came back up with the golden ball balanced on his head. The princess grabbed it, called "Thanks!", and ran all the way back to the palace. "Wait for me!" called the frog. Hop, hop, hop. But she was already gone.
That evening, while the royal family was eating dinner, there came a knock at the door. Knock, knock. Then a little wet slap, slap, slap on the marble steps. "Princess, Princess, open the door. Remember the promise you made by the well."
The king looked up. "Who is that, my dear?" The princess told him about the frog. The king said, kindly but firmly, "A promise is a promise. The frog helped you when you needed help. Now it's your turn to be kind."
So the princess opened the door. The frog hopped in and sat right next to her plate. At first she wrinkled her nose. But the frog said "please" and "thank you". He told funny jokes about flies and lily pads. When a pea rolled off her plate, he caught it with his long tongue, zip! The princess giggled. "You're really quite funny, Frog."
At bedtime, the frog sat on a little cushion beside her bed. The princess told him a story about a golden ball that fell into a well. The frog laughed. "Ribbit! I know that story!" Then she said, "Goodnight, Frog. I'm glad you're my friend." And she gave him a gentle pat on the head.
Twinkle, twinkle, sparkle! The whole room filled with golden light. Where the frog had been sat a boy with a little crown and a big friendly smile. "Thank you!" he said. "I'm a prince. A long time ago, a young wizard was practising his magic and turned me into a frog by mistake. He said only true kindness from a friend could change me back. You kept your promise, and you were kind to me."
The princess clapped her hands. The king laughed a big, booming laugh. And the very next day, the young wizard came to the palace to say sorry, carrying a basket of honey cakes for everyone.
From then on, the prince and the princess were the best of friends. Every afternoon they played with the golden ball in the garden. Up, catch! Up, catch! And this time, they always played far away from the edge of the well.
Parent tip: Use a croaky "ribbit" voice for the frog and tap "knock, knock" on the bed frame when he arrives at the palace door.
Ask your child: After the story, you can ask: “Who was kind in this story, and what did they do?”
This is a gentle retelling where the frog is never thrown or hurt, the spell was an honest mistake, and kindness turns him back.