Source: O'Brien, Anne Sibley. The Princess and the Beggar: a Korean Folktale. New York: Scholastic, 1993.
Summary: The King's youngest daughter cried frequently, earning her the nickname "The Weeping Princess." One day, the king threatens that he will marry her off to the village idiot, Pabo Ondal, if she continues her weeping. When she turns 16 and is ready to be married, she holds him to his threat rather than be married in an arranged marriage. She teaches Ondal to read, write, and ride a horse, and he wins the king's hunting and poetry competitions.
Cultural origins: Korean. The book touts itself as a Korean folktale, and includes source notes from the oral tradition.
Audience: 3rd-5th grade. This story would probably be over the head of younger children, particularly with the idea of arranged marriage. It is also a fairly complicated story with multiple characters that develop over the course of the story.
Adaptation notes: In my own telling of this story, I would exaggerate the change in Ondal through my voice and mannerisms. I would also include more examples of the princess's weeping in order to demonstrate how she got her nickname.
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