Read an Excerpt
Once upon a time, in a beautiful kingdom, lived a king and queen who should have been very happy. Instead, they were sad, because they didn't have any children. Every day they said to themselves, "Oh, if only we had a child!" But their wish didn't come true.
Then one day, while she was calling her feet in a pond near the castle, the queen signed and said again, "If only I had a child."
To her surprise, a frog leaked out of the water and spoke to her. "Don't be sad, you majesty," said the frog. "Within one year you will have a little girl."
The frog's prediction came true, and the queen overjoyed, and they decided to hold a celebration. They invited everyone they knew—their relatives, their friends, and their fairies.
There were thirteen fairies in the kingdom. But since they king and queen only had twelve gold plates, they sadly couldn't invite one of the fairies.
It was a joyous celebration with beautiful music and delicious food. When they had finished eating, the fairies gave their gifts to the little princess. The first fairy gave the princess beauty. The second gave her wealth. The third gave her kindness. The fourth gave her musical talent. This went on until eleven fairies had given their gifts. Suddenly the thirteenth fairy, who had not been invited, burst into the room.
Furious that she had been left out, this fairy cried in a terrible voice, "When the princess turns sixteen she will prick her finger on a spindle and die!"
The king and queen were terrified. Many of the guests began to sob. At that moment the twelfth fairy, who had not yet give her gift, stepped forward.
"Your majesties," she said, "I do not have the power to remove this spell, but I can change it. When the princess price her finger, she will not die. Instead she will sleep for one hundred years.. At the end of that time a worthy prince will come and awaken her."
To protect his daughter, the king ordered all the spinning wheels in the kingdom to be burned and that no one would ever mention the spell to the princess.
