The Happy Prince is a wholesome story about a sparrow and a statue. When you read the full story, it pulls at your heartstrings and teaches you a very important lesson about sharing and empathy. Children from a young age should be taught to share and empathise with others. Empathy is what makes us humans. We share this world with each other and other animals around us too. It is thus essential to teach our children these values from a young age so they can grow up to be responsible and caring adults. Read ahead for The Happy Prince story in English and let the story soak in!
Origin And History Of The Happy Prince
The Happy Prince short story was published in May 1888 as part of a collection of stories for children. The author is the renowned Oscar Wilde. The book consists of a total of five stories for children. The Happy Prince is probably the most well-known story among all of them. The story gained popularity because of the nature of the story and the deep introspection it brought about.
Story Type Of The Happy Prince
The Happy Prince short story is a children’s classic written by Oscar Wilde. It was published in 1888. The story is very heart-warming and teaches us the importance of caring, sharing and empathy.
Story Characters
The Prince
The Sparrow
The sick little boy
The young man
The little girl
Villagers
The Happy Prince Story For Children
There once lived a prince who had not seen sorrow. Sorrow was not allowed to enter his palace. When the prince passed away, a statue was made which was adorned in jewels and gold. The statue’s sword had a ruby and emeralds for eyes. The clothes were made of gold.
One day, a migrating sparrow stopped by as it was tired and sleepy. It spent one night on the statue. When the sparrow woke up the next morning, it saw the statue crying. When the sparrow asked the prince what was wrong, the prince told him that he saw a sick little boy who didn’t have anyone to look after him. The prince asked the sparrow to take the ruby from his sword to the little boy. The sparrow took the ruby to the boy and asked him to get well soon.
The next morning, the prince saw a young man crying at the beach. The man wanted to be a painter but did not have the money to afford the paints. The prince asked the sparrow to take one of his emerald eyes to the young man on the beach. The sparrow did as he was told and told the young man to be a great painter.
The next day, the prince saw a little girl selling matches on the street. She did not have a coat, shoes, or anyone to look after her. The sparrow had to leave soon as it was getting colder. The prince asked the sparrow to take his other eye to the girl, and the sparrow did so. Helping others made the sparrow feel good too.
The prince no longer had eyes, making the sparrow feel bad for him. The sparrow decided to stay with the prince and become his eyes. Every morning, the sparrow looked over the town, and if he saw someone who needed help, he would take a piece of gold from the prince and give it to those in need.
Soon, a very cold winter came. The prince had nothing else to share, and the sparrow died in peace under the prince. The town’s people buried the sparrow, took apart the statue, and put it in a fire. Even though the prince and the sparrow passed away, they were reunited in heaven and lived happily ever after.
Story Summary
There lived a prince who had never seen sorrow. When he passed, a statue was made to honour him, and the statue had a ruby on the sword, emeralds for eyes and was wearing clothes made of gold. One day a tired sparrow rested under the statue. When it woke up the next day, it noticed that the prince was crying. The prince told the sparrow that it saw a sick little boy who didn’t have anyone to look after him. The prince requested the sparrow to take his ruby to the little boy. The sparrow did as he was told.
In the following few days, the prince saw more people suffering and requested the sparrow to take his emerald eyes to them. The prince no longer had eyes, and so the sparrow decided to stay with the prince and be his eyes. The sparrow would go around the town, find suffering people and return with a piece of the prince’s gold clothes.
A cold winter arrived, and the sparrow passed away under the statue, and the statue no longer had anything else to give. The villagers buried the sparrow, broke down the statue, and put it in a fire. Although both the bird and statue passed away, they were reunited in heaven and lived happily together.
How Can Children Apply The Lesson Of The Story In Their Real Life?
The Happy Prince short story with pictures teaches us the importance of kindness, empathy and sharing. You can teach your little one the importance of values of sharing and compassion. Short stories like these help us reflect and understand the true meaning of being humans and the ability of empathy that is present in all of us. We must nurture this quality and make it a part of our lives. You can start by encouraging your little one to share their toys with others and be kind and caring towards animals. Lead by example, be kind and empathetic towards them and show them how to do so with others. Your child will only learn when you show them practical examples of what you preach to them.
