Charles Perrault

Hello! My name is Charles Perrault, and while you might not recognize my name, I am sure you know my stories. I was born in Paris, France, on January 12th, 1628. I grew up in a large, busy family where my father, a successful lawyer, taught us that education was the most important thing a person could have. He wanted his children to be smart and successful. I listened to his advice and spent my childhood with my nose in a book. I loved to read and learn about the world. I studied very hard in school, and when I grew up, I followed in my father's footsteps and became a lawyer, too.

For many years of my adult life, I did not write the stories I am famous for today. Instead, I had a very important job working for the government of France's king, King Louis XIV. It was a serious position, and I helped with many large projects that shaped the country. One of my duties was to help with the planning and building of the magnificent Palace of Versailles, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. My work was noticed, and in 1671, I was given a great honor. I was elected to the Académie Française, which was a special group made up of the most important and respected writers and thinkers in all of France. Being part of this group was a great achievement, but deep in my heart, I always held a special love for the magic and wonder of storytelling.

After I retired from my long career in government, I finally had the time to focus on my true passion. I began to write down the old folk tales that I had heard throughout my life. These were the stories that mothers, fathers, and grandparents had been telling their children for hundreds of years, passed down from one generation to the next. In 1697, I gathered these tales and published my most famous book, which you might know as 'Tales of Mother Goose.' Inside its pages were stories that I bet you have heard before, like 'Cinderella,' 'The Sleeping Beauty,' 'Puss in Boots,' and 'Little Red Riding Hood.' At first, I wrote them for grown-ups to enjoy, but children quickly fell in love with them as well. I believed these simple stories held important lessons about life, so at the end of each tale, I added a short poem, called a moral, to explain the lesson the story was trying to teach.

I lived to be 75 years old, and my life was filled with important work for my country. However, the thing I am remembered for most are my fairy tales. It fills me with so much joy to know that hundreds of years after I wrote them down, children all over the world are still reading about glass slippers, enchanted princesses, and clever cats wearing boots. My stories have been retold in countless books, turned into famous movies, and performed as plays on stages everywhere. It just goes to show that a little bit of magic and a good story can truly last forever.