How a Prince Learned to Read

"How a Prince Learned to Read" is a children's story by James Baldwin that explores themes of education, self-discovery, and empowerment. The narrative follows a young prince who embarks on a journey of learning that transcends his royal status. Through his experiences, he discovers the transformative power of reading and knowledge, emphasizing the importance of intellectual growth and understanding. Baldwin's lyrical prose and rich storytelling offer a timeless message about the value of literacy and the courage to pursue one's curiosity, making it a cherished tale for both young readers and adults alike.

• Short story

								
I

A thousand years ago boys and girls did not learn to read. Books were
very scarce and very precious, and only a few men could read them.

Each book was written with a pen or a brush. The pictures were painted
by hand, and some of them were very beautiful. A good book would
sometimes cost as much as a good house.

In those times there were even some kings who could not read. They
thought more of hunting and fighting than of learning.

There was one such king who had four sons, Ethelbald, Ethelbert,
Ethelred, and Alfred.[Footnote: Eth'el bald, Eth'el bert, Eth'el red,
Al'fred.] The three older boys were sturdy, half-grown lads; the
youngest, Alfred, was a slender, fair-haired child.

One day when they were with their mother, she showed them a wonderful
book that some rich friend had given her. She turned the leaves and
showed them the strange letters. She showed them the beautiful
pictures, and told them how they had been drawn and painted.

They admired the book very much, for they had never seen anything like
it. "But the best part of it is the story which it tells," said their
mother. "If you could only read, you might learn that story and enjoy
it. Now I have a mind to give this book to one of you"

"Will you give it to me, mother?" asked little Alfred.

"I will give it to the one who first learns to read in it" she
answered.

"I am sure I would rather have a good bow with arrows" said Ethelred.

"And I would rather have a young hawk that has been trained to hunt"
said Ethelbert.

"If I were a priest or a monk" said Ethelbald, "I would learn to read.
But I am a prince, and it is foolish for princes to waste their time
with such things."

"But I should like to know the story which this book tells," said
Alfred.

II

A few weeks passed by. Then, one morning, Alfred went into his mother's
room with a smiling, joyous face.

"Mother," he said, "will you let me see that beautiful book again?"

His mother unlocked her cabinet and took the precious volume from its
place of safe keeping.

Alfred opened it with careful fingers. Then he began with the first
word on the first page and read the first story aloud without making
one mistake.

"O my child, how did you learn to do that?" cried his mother.

"I asked the monk, Brother Felix, to teach me," said Alfred. "And every
day since you showed me the book, he has given me a lesson. It was no
easy thing to learn these letters and how they are put together to
make words. Now, Brother Felix says I can read almost as well as
he."

"How wonderful!" said his mother.

"How foolish!" said Ethelbald.

"You will be a good monk when you grow up," said Ethelred, with a
sneer.

But his mother kissed him and gave him the beautiful book. "The prize
is yours, Alfred," she said. "I am sure that whether you grow up to
be a monk or a king, you will be a wise and noble man."

And Alfred did grow up to become the wisest and noblest king that
England ever had. In history he is called Alfred the Great.
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