ESOLish Picture Stories · ESOL Entry 1

The Happy Prince

A simple retelling of Oscar Wilde’s story.

A moving story that includes loss.

Turn the pages and enjoy the story. Tap any word to hear it. Bold, dotted-underlined words also have a simple meaning and example.

The Happy Prince: A golden prince statue and a swallow above the city.

The golden statue

Pages 1–2

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Read for pleasure. The final page shares a lesson from the story.

Turn on JavaScript for page turns and word help. You can also read the complete story here.The golden statueA beautiful statue stands high above the city.It shows a prince with gold clothes and bright blue eyes.One night, a swallow rests at his feet.The bird sees tears on the prince’s face.A mother needs help“I can see people who are suffering,” says the prince.He shows the bird a poor mother and her sick son.“Take the red stone from my sword to her.”The swallow carries the gift to their home.A cold roomThe prince sees a young writer in a cold room.The writer has no food and cannot finish his work.“Take one of my precious blue eyes to him,” says the prince.The swallow gives the writer the bright stone.Another giftA girl drops her matches in the street.She is frightened because she cannot sell them now.The prince gives her his other blue eye.“I will stay and help you,” the swallow tells the blind prince.Gold for the cityThe prince asks the swallow to share his gold.The bird takes the thin gold leaves to hungry people.The statue becomes plain, but the prince feels happy.His generous gifts bring food and warmth to many homes.A different kind of beautyWinter arrives, and the swallow dies from the cold.The prince’s heart breaks with sadness.The town leaders throw away the plain statue and the bird.But in Wilde’s ending, God chooses the bird and the prince’s heart as the city’s most valuable things.What can we learn?True beauty comes from kindness.A generous person thinks about what others need.Even a small act of care can make a difference.

A shortened ESOLish retelling. Original story by Oscar Wilde.

The Happy Prince

The golden statue

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