The Princess and the Pea is a classic tale, retold here in calm, simple words for children to enjoy with a grown-up. A wet princess arrives at a castle in a storm, and a queen tests her with a tiny pea hidden under a big pile of mattresses.
Before you start: Has a stormy part with wind and knocking — you can say ‘whoosh’ quietly. Many children relate to feeling a small lump or label.
Listen together Read aloud by Amy · 2 min 38 s
Read the story: The Princess and the Pea
Once there was a prince. He lived in a big castle with his mother, the queen.
The prince wanted to marry a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one.
He met lots of princesses. But he could never be sure if they were real princesses. So he came home. He felt sad.
One evening, there was a big storm. The rain poured down. The wind blew. Whoosh!
Knock, knock. Someone was at the castle door. The king opened it.
Outside stood a young woman. She was soaking wet. Water ran down her hair. Water dripped from her dress. Her shoes went squelch, squelch.
“I am a princess,” she said. “I am lost in the storm. Please may I come in?”
“Come in and get warm,” said the king. The princess sat by the fire. She dried her hair. She had some warm soup.
The queen thought, “Is she a real princess? I will find out.”
The queen went to the guest bedroom. She took everything off the bed. Then she put one tiny green pea on the bed.
On top of the pea, she put a mattress. Then another mattress. Then another. She put twenty mattresses on top of the pea!
Then on top of the mattresses, she put twenty soft quilts filled with feathers. The bed was so high that the princess needed a ladder to climb up.
“Goodnight,” said the queen. “Sleep well.” The princess climbed up the ladder. She lay down on the very top.
In the morning, the queen asked, “Did you sleep well?”
“Oh, no,” said the princess. “I hardly slept at all. There was something small and hard in the bed. I could feel it all night. I felt so uncomfortable. I tossed and turned.”
The queen smiled. Only a real princess could feel one tiny pea through twenty mattresses and twenty quilts!
“You are a real princess,” said the queen. The prince felt very happy. The princess felt happy too.
“I am sorry the bed was lumpy,” said the queen. That night, she took away the pea. The princess had a soft, smooth bed. She slept all night long.
Soon the prince and the princess were married. And the tiny pea was put in a glass box in the castle, so everyone could come and see it. The end.
On this page
Picture cards to talk about
- The prince travels the world
- A wet princess at the door
- The queen puts a pea on the bed
- Twenty mattresses piled high
- The princess cannot sleep
- The pea in a glass box
Talk about The Princess and the Pea together
- What did the queen put under the mattresses?
- How did the princess feel in the lumpy bed?
- Have you ever felt something small that bothered you, like a label or a seam?
- What helps you sleep well?
Feelings in this story
Sad, Wet, Uncomfortable, Tired, Happy.
What the story teaches: Small things can feel very big to some people, and it is kind to help them feel comfortable.
This version is our own gentle retelling of a public-domain tale. You can read about the history of the original story on Wikipedia.
Find more calm stories on our Stories page, or play together in the Playground.