Arthur's Really Helpful Bedtime Stories

Arthur's Really Helpful Bedtime Stories
Author	Stephen Krensky, Marc Brown
Illustrator	Marc Brown
Publication date	October 6, 1998
Published by	Random House Books for Young Readers
ISBN	0679884688
Publication order
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Arthur's Really Helpful Bedtime Stories is a storybook collection of ten fairy tales acted out by Arthur and his friends.

Description

Arthur, D.W., and their friends bring a touch of their own personalities and senses of humor to this sprightly collection of classic bedtime stories. "Could you please be more careful--you're drooling on my cape," says D.W. to the wolf in "Little Red Riding Hood." "Lucky I'm not afraid of heights," proclaims Francine as she climbs to the top of the mattresses in "The Princess and the Pea." Master weaver Arthur has the last laugh in "The Emperor's New Clothes." Each short, fun-to-read story has just the right mixture of the familiar tales with the contemporary spin of Arthur and his friends. "The Frog Prince," "The Three Bears," "The Three Little Pigs," and others round out this big, heavily illustrated hardcover bonanza for parents. Yes, it's really helpful in getting the kids settled down and ready for bed!

Plot

Little Red Riding Hood

There once was a little girl whose favorite color was red. She liked red skirts, red shoes, and even red underwear. Most of all, she liked her red cape with a hood, which she wore every chance she got. "Aren't you tired of red yet?" her mother (Jane Read) asked each morning. "No," said D.W., for that was the little girl's name. "Once I decide I like something, I like it forever." One day, her father (David Read), a very good cook, made some food for D.W. to take to her grandmother. "Grandma Thora always enjoys my home-baked bread," he said. "And I've made some raspberry jam, too." So D.W. set off for her grandmother's house, which was over the river and through the woods. Along the way, she met a wolf. "Good morning," said the wolf. "Hello," said D.W. The wolf licked his lips. "Where are you going on such a fine day?" he said. "To my grandmother's house," said D.W. "And could you please be more careful? You're drooling on my cape." Now, the wolf was very hungry. He wanted to eat D.W. up, cape and all, right then and there. But he decided to be a little more patient and perhaps be rewarded with two delicious meals instead of just one. "And where does your grandmother?" he asked. "In a very neat house over the river and through the woods," said D.W. "I always have to wipe my feet before I go inside." "I'll keep that in mind," said the wolf, darting off into the deep dark woods. When D.W. got to Grandma Thora's house, she saw big muddy paw prints on the doormat. "Hmmm, that's funny," she said to herself as she wiped both her feet before going inside. "Hello, Grandma Thora!" she called out. "It's me, D.W. Where are you?" In here, my dear," said a strange deep voice from the bedroom. D.W. stepped into the kitchen for a moment, then skipped into the bedroom. There she saw a figure in her grandmother's bed. The figure was wearing Grandma Thora's nightgown and cap. "I have brought you some good things to eat," said D.W. "So you have," said the figure. D.W. came closer. "Oh, Grandma Thora!" she said. "I never noticed before what big ears you have." "The better to hear you with, my dear." D.W. looked again. "Oh, Grandma Thora!" she said. "And what big eyes you have!" "The better to see you with, my dear." D.W. came right up next to the bed. "Oh, Grandma Thora!" she said. "What big teeth you have--and I'm not sure you've been brushing regularly." "The better to eat you with, my dear!" cried the wolf, throwing back the blanket. But the wolf was not used to wearing a nightgown. As he leapt out of bed, the nightgown caught on the bedpost. The wolf tripped and fell hard to the floor. CRASH! Then D.W. pulled out a big iron frying pan. She had picked it up in Grandma's kitchen and hidden it in her hood BONK! She knock the wolf out with it. "Thank you for remembering to wipe your feet," she said to the wolf, even though he couldn't hear her. "D.W., is that you?" came a muffled voice from the closet. "Yes, it is," said D.W. She unlocked the closet door and there she found her grandmother, safe and sound, and very happy to see D.W. "Oh, my!" said Grandma Thora, looking around. "I see you've been busy. Thank goodness the wolf didn't have time to eat me before you arrived. Why don't we go fetch the hunter who lives next door? He'll take care of the wolf for us." Once the hunter had come and gone, D.W. and her grandmother sat down for lunch. "You look really good in red," said Grandma Thora. "Thank you," said D.W. "My red riding hood came in very handy today." And she wore her red riding hood for many days after that.

Buster and the Beanstalk

In an old cottage outside of town lived a poor boy named Buster and his mother (Bitzi Baxter). Buster always meant to do what his mother told him, but sometimes he forgot. It was hard to milk a cow on a perfect day for fishing. And it was hard to rake up the hay when jumping in it was so much more fun. Things for the family went from bad to worse, until one day Buster's mother told him they must sell the cow. "She's starting to give less milk," his mother explained. "We need to sell her while she's still worth something." So the next morning, Buster and the cow started on their way to market. It was a sunny day, just right for chasing butterflies, and Buster was sorry he had a job to do. "Good morning, Buster!" said an old man by the side of the road. Buster was surprised. "How do you know my name?" he asked. "Oh, you just look like a Buster. Smart. Dignified." Buster was pleased. "And where are you going?" the man asked. "To market," said Buster. "I have to sell our cow." "What a pity having to go all that way on such a fine day for chasing butterflies." Buster nodded. "What if I saved you the trouble?" said the old man. "Will you trade your cow for these five beans?" He held out his hand. Buster just laughed. "I wouldn't trade our cow for some silly beans. I'm smart, remember?" "Ah, but these beans are very special. They're magic beans." Buster thought it over. Magic beans were surely worth a lot. And the butterflies were waiting to be chased. When Buster got home, his mother was surprised to see him. "Back so soon?" she said. "You must have gotten a good price." Buster held out his hand. "Even better," he said. "I got these five magic beans!" "Beans? You sold our cow for magic beans?" his mother shouted. "We need money, not beans." She angrily threw them out the window and sent Buster to his room. The next morning, when Buster woke up, he looked outside and saw a beanstalk growing toward the sky. "I wonder where it goes," said Buster. He went out and starting climbing. By the time he got to the top, the beanstalk had poked through the clouds. Buster looked around. He could see a castle in the distance. As he got closer, he could see it was a giant's castle. When he arrived there, Buster found that he couldn't reach the doorknob. But he was able to slide under the door. "Hello!" Buster called out. "Anybody home?" No one answered. Suddenly, though, the room began to shake. Buster nervously hid behind a broom in the corner. The shaking got louder and louder. Then the door burst open--and a giant came in. CLOMP! CLOMP! CLOMP! he stomped as he glanced around quickly, sniffing the air. "Fee, fi, fo, fum! As I was coming up the path, I smelled someone who needs a bath." Buster bit his lip. He had been meaning to wash up, but he just hadn't gotten around to it. The giant might have found him if he had searched, but he was distracted by a fluttering noise. He went over to a small birdcage and peered at the goose inside. Buster was surprised. "Why would the giant keep an ordinary goose around?" Buster wondered. "It would barely make a snack for him. He must be an awfully mean giant to keep the poor bird all cooped up in a small cage." The giant lifted the cage to a table. "Lay!" he ordered the goose. The next moment, the goose laid an egg. Buster could see immediately that it was ordinary egg. This egg was made of solid gold! The giant admired it greedily for a moment. Then he yawned mightily and laid his head on the table to take a short nap. His snoring soon filled the room like thunder. Buster took a deep breath. "Now's your chance," he thought. "Your chance to be squashed like a bug," his thoughts replied. "Well, I can't just stay here forever. And as long as I'm leaving, I might as well make the most of it." There was no answer to that, and so Buster climbed up the table, opened the cage, and took out the goose. The goose started honking and flapping its wings. "Quiet!" Buster whispered. "I'm trying to rescue you." Luckily, the giant couldn't hear anything over the sound of his own snoring. The goose went right on honking, but Buster held her tightly and ran for his life. Just as he reached the beanstalk, he heard a roar from the castle. "WHO STOLE MY GOOSE?!" Buster started climbing down the beanstalk in a hurry. Considering the giant's keen sense of smell, Buster knew he didn't have much of a head start. When he reached the ground, he shouted to his astonished mother, "Hold this goose and move back!" Then he ran to get his ax. The beanstalk was already shaking a little from the weight of the giant high above. As fast as he could, Buster swung the ax. CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! With the last cut, Buster jumped back. The whole beanstalk came crashing down--and the giant with it. When the dust cleared, there was a huge pit in the ground. "Well," said Buster, dusting off his hands. "I guess I wasn't the one squashed like a bug, after all." With golden eggs to sell, Buster and his mother were able to build a big new house and start living in style. Best of all, there was plenty of time for Buster to chase all the butterflies he could find.

The Emperor's New Clothes

Long ago, there was an emperor who loved to wear beautiful clothes. He wore a different outfit to every meal and rarely wore the same thing twice. One day, two visitors came to the emperor's palace. They told everyone they were weavers. "We weave the best cloth," said one, called the Brain. "Pure fiber, organically grown." "Our cloth is so fine," said the other, whose named was Arthur, "that it is invisible to foolish people." When the emperor heard this, he invited the two weavers to make him some clothes. The weavers agreed. "We will need a nice place to work," said Arthur. "No distractions like pesky little sisters. And plenty of snacks." "We must also have gold thread and the finest silk," the Brain added. "Our designs depend on it." "Yes, yes," said the emperor, "whatever you want." He gave the weavers a large room with a view of the garden. Every day, whenever anyone came by, they sat before their loom, pretending to weave. The rest of the time they ate and slept and played games. As for the silk and gold thread, they hid them under the bed. After a week, the curious emperor sent his prime minister to see them. "Our work is going very well," the weavers told her. "Come in and see for yourself." They pointed to the loom. The prime minister opened her eyes wide. She rubbed them twice. It didn't help. She still saw no cloth. "Does this mean I am foolish?" she thought to herself. "How terrible! Nobody must find out." "Do you like the colors?" asked Arthur. "Dramatic, aren't they?" said the Brain. The prime minister sighed. "I've never seen anything like them," she admitted, and told the emperor the same thing. When another week had passed, the curious emperor sent the lord chamberlain for a peek. "Come in," the weavers told him. "Take a good look." The lord chamberlain stared and stared. Like the prime minister, he couldn't see a thing. "Am I so foolish?" he thought. "Oh, dear. No one must find out." "So what do you think?" asked Arthur. "Pretty amazing, huh?" "Oh, my," said the lord chamberlain. "It's hard to put into words. But I'm certainly glad everything is going so well." And that's what he told the emperor. After a third week had passed, the emperor himself came to see the cloth. He was escorted by both the prime minister and the lord chamberlain. "You've arrived at a crucial moment," said the Brain. "As you will see, this part is rather tricky." As their guests watched, the weavers continued with their work. First they pretended to take the cloth off the loom. Then they pretended to cut it into pieces together. Finally, they pretended to sew the pieces together. The emperor coughed to hide his confusion. He could see no cloth at all. "Is anything wrong, Your Majesty?" asked the Brain. "No, no," said the emperor. "Your work simply took my breath away. I couldn't be happier." He paused. "There's to be a parade tomorrow. Will the clothes be ready by then?" "We will do our best," Arthur said. "Keep those snacks coming." The next morning, the emperor arrived to get dressed. The weavers lifted their arms as though clothing were draped over them. Arthur held one arm out in front of him. "These are the royal parts," he said. The Brain held out both arms. And this is the royal robe." "Ah," said the emperor. "The clothing is very light," the Brain went on. "You will almost feel as though you are wearing nothing at all." The weavers pretended to life each piece of clothing and place it on the emperor. When they were done, they stood back and clapped their hands. "What style!" cried Arthur. "What grace!" agreed the Brain. "What... a surprise," said the emperor. He looked hard in the mirror--and sighed. The emperor led the parade up and down the city streets. In all the commotion, nobody noticed the two weavers leaving by the back gate with a sack filled with royal snacks. Everyone knew the story of the emperor's new clothes and how only foolish people couldn't see them. So they all spoke up quickly: "Did you ever see such a robe?" "What colors!" "The emperor never looked better." One little girl, though, was not so impressed. She looked at the emperor and laughed. "But he doesn't have anything on!" she cried. As if a spell head been broken, the crowd began to laugh, too: "She's right, isn't she?" "He isn't wearing a thing." "He has nothing on at all!" The emperor bit his lip--and blushed right down to his toes. He knew they were right, but he wasn't going to admit it. He kept his head as the laughter followed him all the way through the town and back to the palace.

D.W. and the Three Bears

There was once a little girl named D.W. who often did the opposite of what she was told. When her mother explained that she had to be gentle with some toys, she played roughly with them until they broke. If her father said that a fresh batch of cookies was too hot to eat, she always took a bite, anyway. And when her big brother warned her about reading scary stories at bedtime, D.W. read the scariest stories she could find, even though they gave her bad dreams. One day, D.W. went out for a walk in the woods. Her mother told her not to go far, so naturally D.W. wandered farther than she had ever gone before. She came upon a little cottage where the door was open. A delicious smell was coming from inside. Now, D.W. had been told many times not to go into strange houses--so, of course, that was the first thing she did. Inside, she found three bowls of oatmeal cooling on the table. She took a taste from the biggest bowl, but it was too hot. She took a taste from the medium-sized bowl, but it was too cold. Then she took a taste from the smallest bowl. "Just right," she decided, and quickly gobbled it up. Then she went into the living room. There she saw three chairs. The biggest chair was too hard for her. The medium-size chair was too soft. The smallest one, though, looked just right. But when D.W. sat down on it, the chair broke in pieces. "They sure don't make things like they used to," said D.W., as she picked herself up off the floor. Upstairs, D.W. found three beds in a row. She bounced on the first bed. "Too hard," she thought. She bounced on the second. It was softer, but not quite right. The third bed, though, was perfect. In fact, she bounced on it so long that she got very tired. Snuggling under the blanket, D.W. fell fast asleep. While D.W. was sleeping, the family of three bears returned to their cottage. They noticed at once that all was not well. "Someone's been eating my oatmeal," said the big Papa Bear. "Someone's been eating my oatmeal, too," said the middle-sized Mama Bear. "Someone's been eating my oatmeal!" said the little Baby Bear. "And they've eaten it all up." The three bears then went into their living room. "I think someone's been sitting in my big chair," said Papa Bear. "Someone's been sitting in my chair, too," said Mama Bear. "And someone's been sitting in my little chair," said Baby Bear. "And now it's broken all apart." The bears were not happy about this. They marched upstairs to see what else might be wrong. CLOMP! CLOMP! CLOMP! "Someone's been sleeping in my bed!" roared Papa Bear. "Someone's been sleeping in my bed, too!" growled Mama Bear. "Someone's been sleeping in my bed!" gasped Baby Bear. "And she's still there! Look at her!" The three angry bears stood by Baby Bear's bed. They glared down at D.W. Just then, she opened her eyes. "Oh, my!" she cried. "I'm in big trouble." She leapt up, bouncing past the bears from one bed to the next. Then she ran down the stairs and out the front door. The three bears never saw the girl again--and they didn't miss her one bit. As for D.W. herself, she got home safely before dark. The very next day, she began doing what she was told--except that she refused to ever eat oatmeal again.

The Tortoise and the Hare

There was once a tortoise and a hare who lived near each other, but didn't speak very often. The reason they didn't speak was that the hare was always in a hurry. "Hello, hello," the hare would say if they happened to meet on the road. "Buster's my name and running's my game." "Good morning," said the tortoise. "Can't talk now," Buster would say. "I've got places to go and things to do." And to prove his point, he would then disappear in a flash. At one such meeting, though, the tortoise finally put in a few words. "You really should slow down," he declared. "All this rushing around isn't good for you. Can you name any of the flowers you see on this road every day? Have you ever stopped to smell them? No. You're in too much of a hurry." Buster took a moment to laugh in the tortoise's face--and then he was off again, even faster than before. The next time their paths crossed, the tortoise added something else. "Faster is not always better," he said. For the first time, Buster came to a screeching halt. "What? What did you say?" The tortoise repeated his words. "Oh, really?" said Buster. "Well, talk is cheap. Let's have a race to prove it. If I win, I get to train you into a world-class runner." "And if I win," said the tortoise, "we'll have a long, slow breakfast together every day, and I'll teach you all about the flowers." "Done!" said Buster. The race was set for the following day. "You can start us," Buster said, jogging in place. the tortoise nodded. "Ready. Set. Go!" Before the tortoise could even blink, Buster was already ten yards down the road. Still, the tortoise was not discouraged, and he ambled off at his own slow pace. Soon Buster was so far ahead that he couldn't even see the tortoise. "No point in hurrying," Buster said. Then he yawned. He had to admit that all this rushing about was a little tiring. "In fact," he decided, "I might as well sit down and take a rest." He found a comfortable spot in the shade. It was so comfortable, in fact, that he fell fast asleep. He was snoring loudly when the tortoise passed him, and he was still dreaming when the tortoise crossed the finish line. "Unfair!" Buster protested when he finally awoke. "I don't see why," said the tortoise. Buster really didn't, either. And so he kept his word, meeting the tortoise every day for breakfast. Before a month was up, the two of them had become good friends. Just as important, Buster finally stopped to smell the flowers, and even though some of them made him sneeze, he was too polite to mention it.

The Princess and the Pea

There was once a prince who was eager to fall in love. But being a prince, he had to fall in love with a princess. So his parents introduced him to princesses from lands near and far. There were short princesses and tall ones, thin princesses and fat ones. There were even a few so overdressed it was hard to know what they really looked like at all. One night, during a terrible storm, the prince was having dinner with his parents at their castle. "I'm afraid we're running out of princesses," noted the king. "We mustn't give up hope," the queen insisted. The prince just sighed, pushing the food around on his plate. After dinner, there was a loud pounding at the castle door, and a young woman was brought in. She was splashed with mud, and her dripping clothing made puddles on the floor. "Good evening, Your Majesties," she said, shaking rain from her hair. "I am Princess Francine. Thanks for letting me in." The prince could hardly believe his eyes. He had never seen such a bedraggled princess before. The king and queen were also surprised. "What great need made you travel on such a night?" the king asked. "Nothing special," the princess explained. "I've just recently arrived in your kingdom, and I thought I would go out for a ride." "Even in a storm?" asked the queen. Princess Francine shrugged. "A little rain doesn't bother me. But the thunder spooked my horse, and she threw me. I'll find her in the morning." The prince didn't know what to think. Here was a brave and resourceful princess, unlike any he had met before. The queen knew her son well and could see the look that had come over his face. But what did they really know of Francine? They had to find out if she was a really a princess. And for that, the queen had a plan. "Come," she said to Francine. "Let's get you into some dry clothing and find you a room." While Francine was changing, the queen had twenty mattresses piled on a bed. Under the bottom one, she placed a single pea. When Francine arrived in her bedroom, she was impressed. "That's quite a bed," she said, looking up. "Luckily, I'm not afraid of heights." Ignoring the ladder, she scrambled up the mattresses and settled in. "Sleep well," said the queen, closing the door behind her. "If she's really a princess, we'll know soon enough," she said to herself. The next morning, Francine met the royal family at breakfast. "And how are you feeling this morning?" the queen asked. Francine yawned. "I hardly slept at all. I kept feeling as if I was lying on a sharp rock. I even turned black and blue." The queen smiled. Only a true princess could have felt the pea through twenty king-size mattresses. The prince was delighted, too, and began spending as much time as possible with Francine. Soon they were both in love with each other. After the prince and princess were married, they continued to sleep on the twenty mattresses because Francine liked the view. The prince removed the pea, though, so that they could sleep happily ever after.

Characters

Little Red Riding Hood

• D.W. Read (Little Red Riding Hood)
• Jane Read
• Grandma Thora
• The wolf

Buster and the Beanstalk

• Buster Baxter (Jack)
• Bitzi Baxter (Jack's mother)
• The cow
• The old man
• The giant

The Emperor's New Clothes

• Arthur Read
• D.W. Read
• The Brain
• The emperor
• Bitzi Baxter (The prime minister)
• Two unnamed aardvarks
• Three unnamed rabbits

D.W. and the Three Bears

• D.W. Read
• Mama Bear
• Papa Bear
• Baby Bear

The Tortoise and the Hare

• Buster Baxter (The hare)
• The tortoise

The Princess and the Pea

• Arthur Read (The prince)
• David Read (The king)
• Jane Read (The queen)
• Princess Francine Frensky
• Princess Prunella
• Princess Sue Ellen
• Princess Fern

The Three Little Pigs

• The three little pigs
• Binky Barnes
• The Brain
• Arthur Read
• The big bad wolf

The Frog Prince

• Muffy
• The frog
• The king
• Arthur Read

The Lion and the Mouse

• Binky Barnes (The lion)
• The mouse

Puss in Boots

• Arthur Read
• Puss
• Francine Frensky
• Binky Barnes (The ogre)
• The king