LITTLE JACK, AND THE PRINCESS WITH NO SMILE        
by Ann Magill

Once upon a time, there lived a princess who had no smile. Every year, the king threw a birthday party for her, and decreed that whoever brought her a present that made her smile would be declared a hero, and given a grand reward. Kings, queens, lords and ladies came from all over the world, every year, to try give the princess wonderful presents, and make her smile. But every year, her frown got bigger, until her face was a wrinkled as a raisin.

Then, one year, Little Jack, the poorest person in the kingdom, thought he would try. He didn't have any jewels or gold, but he had a song to sing, and thought the princess might like that, instead. He hurried to the palace, so he could sing for her birthday before the party was over.

Soon, he met Donkey Gray.

"Hello, Little Jack," Donkey Gray said. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Little Jack answered: "Today is the princess's birthday, and I must hurry to the palace, so I can give her my song, and a reason to smile, before the party's over."

"I shall come, too!" Donkey Gray said. "I can sing 'Hee-Haw!'" So Little Jack hopped on Donkey Gray's back. And they both hurried down the road. Soon, they met the old dog Woofer Wagtail.

"Where are you two going in such a hurry?" Woofer Wagtail asked.

Little Jack answered: "Today is the princess's birthday, and we must hurry to the palace, so we can give her our song, and a reason to smile, before the party's over."

"I shall come, too!" Woofer Wagtail said. "I can sing 'Bow-Wow!'

So the three of them: Woofer Wagtail, Donkey Gray, and Little Jack, hurried down the road to the royal palace. Soon, they Little Green Frog, hopping from puddle to puddle beside the road.

"Where are you three going in such a hurry?" Green Frog asked.

Little Jack answered: "Today is the princess's birthday, and we must hurry to the palace, so we can give her our song, and a reason to smile, before the party's over."

"I shall come, too!" Green Frog said. "I can sing: 'Ka-roak! Ka-roak!"

So the four of them: Green Frog, Woofer Wagtail, Donkey Gray, and Little Jack, hurried down the road to the royal palace. Soon, they met Kitten Cat.

"Where are you four going in such a hurry?" Kitten Cat asked.

Little Jack answered: "Today is the princess's birthday, and we must hurry to the palace, so we can give her our song, and a reason to smile, before the party's over."

"I shall come, too!" Kitten Cat said. "I can sing: 'Meow!"

So the five of them: Kitten Cat, Green Frog, Woofer Wagtail, Donkey Gray, and Little Jack, hurried down the road to the royal palace. Soon, they met Proud Rooster.

"Where are you five going in such a hurry?" Proud Rooster asked.
Little Jack answered: "Today is the princess's birthday, and we must hurry to the palace, so we can give her our song, and a reason to smile, before the party's over."

"I shall come, too!" Red Rooster said. "I can sing: 'Cock-a-doodle-doo!."

So the six of them: Red Rooster, Kitten Cat, Green Frog, Woofer Wagtail, Donkey Gray, and Little Jack, hurried down the road to the royal palace.

The hour was late, and the party was almost over. Princes had brought fancy necklaces and rings for her. Lord and ladies had brought silk gowns. Trumpeters had played fanfares for her, and drummers had drummed. But none of those things gave the princess reason to smile.

The king was about to send everyone home, to try again next year, when there was a loud knock on the palace door. When the door was opened in came Little Jack on Donkey Gray, followed by Woofer Wagtail, Green Frog, Kitten Cat, and Red Rooster.

The little parade was so different from anything she had seen before that the princess laughed with surprise. And as each of the friends sang their own best song, she laughed harder and harder, until she could not stop laughing.

The king declared Little Jack to be a hero, and gave him one shiny gold coin for every day of his life. Little Jack was no longer poor, and with the gold, he built a grand house where all the good friends he had made along the road could live together in happiness, ever after.
---
And here is the matching song:

Some times we are happy,
And some times we're sad.
It's easy to smile when we're feeling glad.
The reasons to smile are often quite small
And those are the very best treasures of all.

The donkey sings "Hee-haw!"
The dog sings "Bow-wow!"
The frog sings "Ka-roak!"
And the kitten meows.
The proud rooster sings "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
And I sing: "Hello! Happy birthday to you!"

(I originslly wrote it as a birthday story and song, but if it's not someone's birthday at the time of the singing "And I sing: "Hello! I am glad to meet you!" scans just as well)

If you want to hear the tune and/or see what the score looks like, make sure your pop-up blockers are off, copy the bold text below, and paste it into the window at Concertina.net's Tune-O-Tron Converter, and click [submit]

X:1
T:Reasons to Smile
T:(Little Jack's Song)
C: Ann Magill
M:4/4
Q:1/4=120
K:Fmaj
CF2GAB2A|GF2EFG2z|
w:Some times we are hap-py, and some times we're sad.
GA2BcB2A|GF2EDC2z|
w: It's eas-y to smi-le when we're feel-ing glad.
CE2DCD2E|FA2GFG2z|
w:The rea-sons to smi-le are of-ten quite small
GF2EDC2D|EG2FEF2z|
w: but those are the ver-y best trea-sures of all.
CF2FCF2F|CF2GAG2z|
w:The don-key sings: "hee-haw!" The dog sings "bow-wow!"
GE2EGE2E|GE2DCF2z|
w: The frog sings: "ka-roak!" And the kit-ten me-ows.
FG2ABA3|AG2FED2z|
w:The proud roos-ter crows: "Cock-a-doo-dle-doo!"
DC2DEF2EDC2DEF3|]
w:And I sing: "Hel-lo! Hap-py birth-day to you!"