The Golden Goose a personalized book with your child as the hero

A woodcutter once lived at the edge of a great forest with his three children. The two older ones were quick with words and even quicker with opinions, and they liked to say that the youngest was too plain and quiet to be of any use. The youngest never argued. The youngest simply went on doing small kind things, which people rarely noticed.

One morning the eldest took an axe to gather wood, with a sweet cake and a bottle of berry juice in a basket. Beside an old stump sat a little old man, tired and hungry. "Would you share a bite and a sip?" he asked. "Then there would be less for me," said the eldest, and walked on. Before long the axe slipped and gave a sore arm, and the eldest limped home. The second child tried next, and said the very same thing to the old man, and came home with a sore foot.

"Let me try," said the youngest. "You will only get lost," said the others. But the youngest packed a plain loaf of bread and a jug of water, the only things left in the kitchen, and set off into the trees.

The little old man was still sitting by the stump. "Would you share your food?" he asked. "It is only bread and water," said the youngest, "but you are welcome to it. Let us share." They sat side by side, and the bread tasted like a feast and the water like clear spring music.

The old man smiled. "You gave what little you had, so I will give what I know. Go to that tall tree with the hollow trunk, and look inside. Your luck is waiting there."

The youngest thanked him and found the tree. Inside the hollow sat a goose whose feathers shone softly gold, like sunrise on wheat. The goose tilted its head and gave a polite honk. "Hello," said the youngest. "Would you like to come with me?" The goose seemed to think about it, then stepped calmly into the youngest's arms.

The youngest folded a cloth around the goose to keep it warm and safe, and carried it along the forest path toward the village. By evening the lights of an inn came into view, and the youngest decided to stay the night there.

Three guests at the inn were curious about the shining bird. The first, a tailor, whispered, "Only one little feather. Nobody will mind." But the moment the tailor touched the golden tail, the hand stuck fast and would not come away. The second guest, a cheesemonger, tugged the tailor's sleeve to pull the tailor free, and stuck to it. The third, a fiddler, tugged the cheesemonger's coat, and stuck as well. There they stood in a row, tugging and puffing and saying "Oh dear" in three different voices.

"I am so sorry," said the youngest. "I do not know why it happens." The goose, however, was perfectly calm and ready to go on. So in the morning the youngest picked up the goose and set off through the village, and the three guests had no choice but to follow, hopping and stumbling and apologising to everyone they passed.

A baker carrying a tray of rolls hurried over to help and stuck to the end of the line. Then came a lamplighter, then a boy with a hoop, then a woman with a basket of eggs, who held it very carefully above her head. The line wobbled and wound through the lanes. Dogs barked, children clapped, and hats went flying.

In the village square stood the king's palace. The king's daughter, a young princess, had not laughed in a very long time, and the king was worried. Jesters had tumbled and singers had sung, but nothing helped. She sat on her balcony with her chin in her hands.

Then she saw the youngest child walking proudly across the square with a golden goose, followed by a tailor with flapping scissors, a cheesemonger chasing a rolling cheese, and a fiddler squeaking out a tune as he hopped. First the princess gave a little giggle. Then a bigger one. Then she laughed until she had to hold the balcony rail, and the laughter rang down into the square.

The king hurried out. "I promised a royal welcome to anyone who could make my daughter laugh," he said. "But a welcome begins at a table. Can you bring bread and water enough for everyone to share?"

The youngest thought of the old man in the forest. And there he was at the edge of the square, smiling. The baker, still stuck to the line, wriggled one hand free and held out a basket of warm bread, and the well-keeper brought a cool stone jug of water. The youngest carried both to the king, and he broke the bread and poured the water and said it was the best meal he had ever eaten.

At that moment the goose gave a happy shake. The golden feather let go, and the whole line tumbled free in a heap of coats and laughter, with nobody hurt.

Then the villagers carried out long tables and lit lanterns. The youngest and the princess sat side by side, laughing about the great parade, and the goose rested on a cushion between them. Even the two older siblings came, a little ashamed, and the youngest passed them the bread. Everyone shared, and the table was full.

And so the youngest, once called plain and quiet, went home with a goose, a pocketful of friends and a warm welcome from the whole kingdom.