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The youngest son was handsome, smart, and very brave. One evening, as he was riding through a forest, a storm suddenly broke. The prince saw a bright light ahead and followed it until he came upon a magnificent palace with walls of crystal and an enormous door encrusted with jewels. When he knocked, the door swung open, and the prince was pulled inside by dozens of invisible hands.

Though uneasy, the prince looked about and found rich clothes set out for him. Then the hands led him to a dinner table set for two. A beautiful snow white cat entered and introduced herself as Princess Cat. She offered the prince a lavish feast and plenty to drink.

The prince was impressed by Princess Cat’s generosity and her marvelous castle. He spent the night, and the next day the prince and Princess Cat played games, hunted in the woods, and picnicked by a waterfall. The prince had so much fun that he stayed the next night, and the next, and the next—until the entire year was almost up.

Luckily, Princess Cat remembered the emperor’s contest. She gave the prince a tiny acorn and told him to take it to his father. The prince sadly rode away from Princess Cat’s land, already missing her wonderful company.

At the emperor’s palace, the two older brothers showed their small dogs. Then it was the young prince’s turn. The prince opened the acorn and out jumped a perfect, tiny dog that was no bigger than a snowflake. The dog barked and danced in the palm of the emperor’s hand.

The emperor was amazed at his son’s gift, but still did not want to give up his throne. He offered his sons the last challenge. After one year, whoever brought back the most beautiful princess in all the land would be emperor.

The prince immediately returned to Princess Cat. She welcomed him back with a feast and a dance. The pair spent many months fishing, reading aloud, and playing in the woods. As quickly as before, the prince’s year was almost up, and he had not yet found a beautiful princess. Resting in front of a fireplace, he asked Princess Cat for advice.

“This is what you must do,” Princess Cat said. “Cut my tail off and throw it into the fire.”

The prince refused to do as Princess Cat requested. He loved her and did not want to harm her. Princess Cat promised the prince that she would not be hurt and that it would please her. Finally, the prince agreed and shut his eyes as he cut off Princess Cat’s tail and threw it into the fire.

Lo and behold! Out of the fireplace stepped a beautiful princess with silken hair and sparkling robes. At that instant, an elegant winged lady flew into the room and embraced the princess. Seeing the prince’s confusion, the princess explained that she had been turned into a cat after she refused to wed an ugly magician. The winged lady was Princess Cat’s friend, a kind fairy who had ensured that the spell would one day be broken by a prince who loved her dearly.

The prince did love Princess Cat with all his heart, and the pair made plans to marry. The fairy brought the prince and Princess Cat in her flying palanquin back to his father’s palace. The emperor was amazed at Princess Cat’s incredible beauty and declared his youngest son the winner of the challenge.

But then Princess Cat interrupted the emperor. “I am the ruler of six kingdoms,” she said, “and I would love nothing more than to share those kingdoms with you and your sons.” Two kingdoms were given to each prince, and the emperor was overjoyed that he could continue to rule his own. The three brothers wed their princesses, and everyone in the land celebrated their happy marriages for many years to come.

Pinocchio

Once upon a time, there was a piece of wood. The old woodcarver, Geppetto, decided to make it into a puppet named Pinocchio. As he carved the eyes, they seemed to look back at him. When he made the mouth, it opened and laughed at him. And when Geppetto carved two legs, the wooden puppet jumped up and ran away!

On his journey, Pinocchio came to a house that was empty but