Dino Kids
Kate Crackernuts
Brave Kate helps her sister and a sleepy prince by following him into a fairy hill with a pocket full of nuts.
Once upon a time, a king and a queen each had a daughter. The king’s daughter was called Anne, and the queen’s daughter was called Kate. The two girls loved each other just like real sisters. But the queen was jealous, because Anne was so pretty.
One day, the queen went to the henwife, who knew a little magic. The henwife cast a spell, and Anne’s pretty head turned into a sheep’s head! “Baa!” said Anne, and she was very upset. Kate wrapped a soft cloth around her sister’s head and took her by the hand. “Don’t worry, Anne,” she said. “We will find a way to fix this together.”
The two sisters walked a long way until they came to another king’s castle. There, the king’s son was ill, and every morning he was more tired than before. “I will sit with the prince tonight,” said Kate.
At midnight, the prince got up as if he were dreaming, and he went out to his horse. Kate jumped up quietly behind him, and off they rode through the dark woods. As they passed the nut trees, Kate filled her apron with nuts. At last they came to a green hill, and the prince called out, “Open, open, green hill, and let the young prince in!” “And his lady behind him!” whispered Kate. The hill opened, and inside was a bright hall full of dancing fairies.
In a corner, Kate saw a fairy baby playing with a little wand. She heard a fairy say, “Three taps of that wand would make Anne’s head well again.” So Kate rolled her nuts across the floor, one by one. The baby crawled after the nuts and dropped the wand, and Kate tucked it into her apron. Back at the castle, she tapped Anne’s head three times, and Anne was her pretty self again!
The next night, Kate rode to the green hill once more. This time the fairy baby was playing with a little magic bird. “Three bites of that birdie would make the prince well,” said a fairy. Kate rolled her nuts again, and the baby dropped the bird to chase them. In the morning, Kate cooked the bird into a tasty dish, and the prince ate three bites. At once, he sat up, strong and well, and he laughed for the first time in months.
The prince was so thankful that he asked Kate to marry him. His brother met Anne, and he asked her to marry him too. So the two sisters had a happy double wedding, with plenty of nuts for everyone.
A traditional tale, retold for young children by Dino Kids (CC0).
Hear this story read aloud
In the Dino Kids app, “Kate Crackernuts” is read aloud, the sentence being read lights up, and there are three reading speeds for little ears. Parents can also record it in their own voice. Free, no ads, no in-app purchases.
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