Fairy tale · 声匠改编 · 4:11
Puss in Boots
A miller's son inherits only a cat, but this cat wants boots, a bag and a plan. A funny bedtime retelling of Perrault's Puss in Boots, ogre and all.
Narrator
Puss in Boots
The Miller's Son
The King
The Princess
The Ogre
The MowerOther languages · 2 languages
About this story
Puss in Boots is a French fairy tale published by Charles Perrault in 1697 as The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots, in the same collection as Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. A clever cat wins a fortune for his penniless master, the miller's youngest son, by inventing the grand title Marquis of Carabas. Perrault's cat threatens to have the mowers chopped up and gobbles up the ogre once he becomes a mouse; this bedtime version keeps the cat cheeky but traps the ogre under a teacup and sends him packing.
What it teaches
Cleverness and effort can take you further than whatever you happen to inherit. It's also a fun story to talk over afterwards: the cat wins by bluffing, so is that fair?
Suits
Ages 4–9
Tips for telling it
- Give Puss a very proper, polite voice; it makes his fibs funnier.
- Let your child shout Marquis of Carabas every time it comes up.
- Ask whether the cat told the truth, and what the miller's son should do now.
Questions people ask
- Who wrote Puss in Boots?
- Charles Perrault published the famous version in France in 1697. Earlier Italian versions had been written by Giovanni Francesco Straparola in the 1550s and Giambattista Basile in the 1630s.
- What is the moral of Puss in Boots?
- Perrault's own moral says that for young people, hard work and cleverness are worth more than an inheritance. A second, teasing moral adds that fine clothes and good looks also help in winning a princess.
- Who is the Marquis of Carabas?
- He is the miller's youngest son, Puss's master. He has no title at all; the cat invents the grand name Marquis of Carabas to impress the King.
More Fairy tales
All Fairy tales episodes →Cinderella
声匠改编
Cinderella sweeps the cinders, a fairy godmother works pumpkin magic, and one glass slipper does the rest. A warm bedtime retelling of Perrault's tale.
The Elves and the Shoemaker
声匠改编
A poor shoemaker cuts out his last pair of shoes, and by morning someone has finished them. Who? A cosy Christmas bedtime retelling of the Grimm tale.
The Emperor's New Clothes
声匠改编
Two swindlers sell a vain emperor cloth that fools can't see. Nobody dares admit they see nothing, until one little girl speaks up. Andersen, retold.
The Fisherman and the Golden Fish
声匠改编
An old fisherman frees a golden fish that grants wishes, but his wife's wishes keep growing, and the sea grows wilder each time. Pushkin's tale, retold.
The Frog Prince
声匠改编
A golden ball, a deep well and a frog who holds a princess to her promise. A funny bedtime retelling of the Grimms' The Frog Prince, with faithful Henry.
The Gingerbread Man
声匠改编
Run, run, as fast as you can! A cheeky gingerbread man escapes the oven and outruns everyone, until he meets a very polite fox. A bedtime retelling.
