Princess Willow
 
 Chapter Three
 In which Princess Willow discovers the world of the froggies and becomes a little frog for a short time.

             Princess Willow, who lived in a small but beautiful castle with her mother and her father and her little sister, Zoe, wanted to learn about frogs. She asked her mother and her father about where frogs live. She asked them about what frogs do. She asked them about what frogs eat.

 Her father, who was very wise and understood about learning and also about frogs, said to Princess Willow, “Princess Willow, why don’t you go down to the river where the frogs live and look at them so you can see them and learn about what they do?”
 Princess Willow was very excited to go to the river and learn about frogs. “Yes, Daddy, I will go to the river and look at all the frogs as they hop around and eat and live!”
 So Princess Willow put on her strong boots for walking and her comfortable blue pants and her warm red sweater, and set off towards the river to look at all the frogs.
 When she arrived at the river, Princess Willow looked at the rocks that sat in the water and the plants that grew on the side of the river bank. The plants were green and leafy, and they moved in the water as it flowed by them. The rocks were brown and black and gray, and sitting on top of them were many little frogs!
 Princess Willow was very excited to see the frogs. She sat down on the edge of the river to watch them. She saw the frogs hop on the rocks in the river and she watched the frogs dive into the water to swim. She saw the frogs use their long red tongues to catch flies to eat, and she heard the frogs talking to each other in frog language: croak, croak, croak!
 “I wish that I could understand frog language,” thought Princess Willow. “Then I would know what these little frogs are saying to each other.”
 Suddenly, there appeared in front of Princess Willow a tiny little man with a big red hat and a long white beard. He sat down on a rock next to Princess Willow and grinned up at her.
 “Who are you?” asked Princess Willow.
 
 

“I am a magic wish-giver,” answered the tiny little man. “I can grant special wishes for special girls who want to learn about new things.”
 “Wonderful!” cried Princess Willow. “I want to learn about frogs, and I wish that I could understand their frog language so that I may speak to them.”
 “I have an idea,” said the tiny little man in the big red hat. “I will turn you into a little froggie just for today so you can learn all about the way that the frogs live and eat and play. Would you like to be a little froggie?”
 “Yes, please!” answered Princess Willow. “I would like very much to be a little froggie!”
 So the tiny little man in the big red hat with the long white beard clapped his hands three times and said, “XERPLSTOP!” Suddenly, Princess Willow felt herself growing smaller and smaller. Her legs and arms and head changed into froggie legs and arms and head. Princess Willow had become a little froggie!
 Princess Willow stretched out her neck and jumped into the water – kersplash! She was swimming with all the other frogs! She swam to another little froggie and said, “Hello! My name is Princess Willow, and I have become a little froggie! Will you talk to me and teach me about being a frog?”
 “Of course,” answered the other frog. “My name is Stronglegs, and I will teach you all about being a frog!”
 
 

Princess Willow leapt high in the air on her long froggie legs because she was so happy that she would learn more about frogs. Stronglegs the Frog hopped with her and they had wonderful fun playing games in the river together as frogs.
 Princess Willow and Stronglegs the Frog swam through the water in the river, and hopped on the rocks. They dove deep under the water and leapt high in the air. It was very fun to be a frog!
 Soon, Stronglegs the Frog told Princess Willow that it was time for her to meet the big frogs and learn about the frog secrets! Stronglegs said to Princess Willow, “Princess Willow, please follow me to where the big frogs live and they will tell you about the frog secrets! Because you are a frog right now, you will learn all about frogs and how we play and eat and talk.”
 Stronglegs the Frog led Princess Willow the Frog to where the big frogs were. There were many big frogs sitting on leaves floating in the water. They were sitting on rocks and they were swimming in the river. The big frogs were eating flies that they caught with their long red tongues.

 Princess Willow hopped over to one of the biggest frogs of all who was sitting on a large gray rock and said, “Hello. My name is Princess Willow, and I have become a frog today to learn more about how frogs live. Will you teach me?”
 “Of course,” answered the biggest frog of all. “My name is Bigfrog, and I will teach you a special secret about baby frogs and grown-up frogs. Follow me into the river!” With that, Bigfrog leapt from the rock where he was sitting and dove under the water. Princess Willow followed him under the water to the bottom of the river.
 “Look over there,” said Bigfrog to Princess Willow, once they had arrived at the bottom of the river. “Can you see those little creatures swimming around very happily? They look just like little fish, don’t they?”
 Princess Willow looked through the water and saw many little creatures that looked just like little fish, swimming around. “Yes, Bigfrog,” she said. “I see those little creatures that look just like little fish.”
 “Well,” said Bigfrog, “I will tell you a frog secret about those little creatures swimming under the water. They are not fish at all, but instead they are baby frogs!”
 “But Bigfrog,” said Princess Willow, “they look like fish to me. They have no legs and they live under the water like fish. Frogs live in the water and also on the rocks and on the bank of the river. How can those little creatures with no legs swimming under the water be baby frogs?”
 Bigfrog smiled at Princess Willow, and gave her a little wink. “That is the frog secret, Princess Willow. These little creatures that look like fish with no legs will grow legs soon!”
 
 

“Grow legs!” exclaimed Princess Willow. “How do fish grow legs?”
 “They are not fish. They are baby frogs. These baby frogs will swim and swim until they are old enough to learn to hop. When they are old enough, long legs will grow on their bodies. Soon they will have legs just like mine and they will be able to hop and sit on rocks and sit on the river bank with all the other frogs.”
 “This is very exciting,” said Princess Willow. “I am very happy that I have learned about frogs!”
 Princess Willow and Bigfrog hopped back onto the rocks in the middle of the river. Sitting on a big gray rock was her new friend, Stronglegs, waiting for her.
 “Did you learn the frog secret, Princess Willow?” asked Stronglegs the Frog.
 “Yes I did!” replied Princess Willow as she hopped onto another rock in the river. “I learned that baby frogs have no legs! They swim and swim and swim until they are old enough to hop, and then they grow long legs so they can hop onto the rocks in the river!”
 Stronglegs the Frog and Princess Willow hopped onto the bank of the river with their own long legs, and suddenly, the tiny little man with the big red hat and the long white beard stepped toward them.

 “Hello, Princess Willow!” he said. “Have you learned all about frogs today?”
 “Yes I have,” answered Princess Willow. “I have learned that frogs hop on the rocks and swim in the water. I have learned that frogs eat flies that they catch with their long red tongues. I have also learned a frog secret: baby frogs have no legs! They swim and swim and swim until they are old enough to hop, and then they grow long legs!”
 “Yes, Princess Willow. You have learned many wonderful things. Now it is time for you to become a girl again.” The tiny little man clapped his hands three times and said, “XERPLSTOP!” Suddenly Princess Willow could feel herself growing bigger and bigger. Finally she was not a frog any more, but a little girl again.
 “Thank you, sir,” she said to the tiny little man with the big red hat and the long white beard. “I have learned a lot about frogs and I made a new friend when I was a little froggie. I hopped and swam and played in the water and on the rocks. I had so much fun!”
 Princess Willow waved good bye to the tiny little man with the big red hat and the long white beard and set off for home. She walked back to the castle where she lived and where her parents were waiting for her.
 “Did you learn all about frogs when you were at the river, Princess Willow?” asked her father.
 “Yes, Daddy,” replied Princess Willow. “I learned that frogs hop on the rocks and swim in the water. I learned that frogs eat flies that they catch with their long red tongues. And I learned that baby frogs have no legs! They swim and swim and swim until they are old enough to hop, and then they grow longs legs!”
 “That is wonderful,” said Princess Willow’s father. “You learned many important things about frogs today. I am very proud of you!” Her father hugged her and kissed her. Princess Willow knew that today had been a very special day that she would never forget.

 
 Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five |
 
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