The Velveteen Rabbit & Other Stories Read Free Page B

the frog sat by her at the table, ate off her little golden plate, and drank out of her little cup. The frog enjoyed himself, but almost every spoonful the princess ate choked her. After dinner, he said, “Now I am tired. Carry me into your little room, and we will both lie down and go to sleep.”
    The king’s daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog and did not want him to sleep in her pretty, clean little bed. But the king grew angry and said, “He helped you when you were in trouble and should not be despised by you now.” So she took hold of the frog with two fingers, carried him into her room, and put him on her bed.
    The frog said, “Now give me a goodnightkiss or I will tell your father.” The princess shut her eyes and kissed the frog on his clammy cheek. When she opened her eyes, he was no longer a frog but a king’s son, with kind and beautiful eyes. The prince told her how he had been bewitched by an evil fairy to live as a frog, and how no one could have delivered him from the well but herself. The next day, the prince and princess celebrated a joyful wedding and went together to rule his kingdom and live happily ever after.

Peter Pan
    L ate one night, Peter Pan and the fairy Tinker Bell flew across the London sky. They stopped at the window outside the nursery of the Darling house and crept inside. Peter was looking for his shadow. He had left it behind the last time he visited the nursery, when he secretly listened to Wendy Darling tell bedtime stories about his home, Neverland, to her brothers, Michael and John.
    Finally, Peter found his shadow. After hecaught it, he tried to sew it back on, but that didn’t work. Peter started to cry, which woke up Wendy. She could not believe her eyes. A boy and a fairy were flying around her room!
    â€œDon’t be frightened,” Peter said. “Will you come to Neverland with me and tell your stories to my friends? I’ll teach you to fly!”
    Wendy agreed only after he included John and Michael in the fantastic adventure. The fairy Tinker Bell sprinkled her fairy dust over the children, and soon they were all soaring through the sky and over the sea.
    â€œSecond to the right, and straight on till morning!” Peter shouted. When they reached Neverland, they found a beautiful island with golden rainbows, blue waterfalls, the Mermaids’ Lagoon, and a pirateship where the evil Captain Hook lived.
    Peter Pan took the children to meet his friends, the lost boys. At the Mermaids’ Lagoon, Peter saw that Captain Hook had captured the beautiful Princess Tiger Lily. Peter followed Captain Hook to Marooners’ Rock, where they had a duel. Peter made Captain Hook fall into the sea, where he was chased away by a crocodile. Tiger Lily was saved!
    That wasn’t the end of Captain Hook. He kidnapped Tinker Bell and tricked her into telling him the location of Peter’s home. He led his band of pirates to capture the lost boys and the Darling children.
    Tinker Bell was imprisoned in the pirate ship, but escaped just in time to alert Peter.She knew that Hook had put poison in Peter’s cup, but Peter would not believe her. As he was about to drink it, Tinker Bell quickly flew and drank it all herself. Suddenly, she dropped to the ground, with her light fading rapidly.
    â€œOh, Tink, did you drink it to save me?” Peter cried. “How can I help you?”
    Tinker Bell said weakly, “I can get well again if children believed in fairies.”
    Peter wasted no time. He thought of the many children who were dreaming of Neverland at that moment, and asked of them all, “Do you believe?” Tinker Bell heard the children murmur “Yes!” in their sleep and felt much better. She was saved!
    Peter and the fairy flew to CaptainHook’s pirate ship, where the Darlings and the lost boys were walking the plank. Wendy had just stepped off and was falling into the ocean! Peter swooped