Once upon a time, there was a grandmother who lived in a kingdom ruled by a king and queen. This grandmother had a big, loving family, including her husband and wife, who were also part of the royal court.

One day, the grandmother's husband, who was a jester in the court, came to her with a silly idea. He wanted to pretend to be the king for a day and rule over the kingdom, with the grandmother as his queen!

The grandmother was hesitant at first, but she couldn't resist her husband's silly grin and twinkling eyes. So, they decided to play along with his idea.

The next day, the husband and wife dressed up in the king and queen's royal robes and sat on their thrones in the palace. The entire kingdom was in on the joke and played along, bowing and curtsying to the fake king and queen.

The grandmother, who was now playing the role of the queen, found that she actually enjoyed ruling over the kingdom. She made some hilarious and creative decrees, like declaring that all knights must ride on unicorns instead of horses, and that the court jester (her husband) would be in charge of all important decisions.

Everyone in the kingdom was having a grand old time, until the real king and queen returned from their travels. The jester and his wife quickly took off their robes and confessed their silly plan to the real rulers.

The king and queen were not angry, but instead, they were impressed by the grandmother's bravery and creativity. They declared a grand feast in honor of the grandmother and her family, and everyone in the kingdom celebrated together.

From that day on, the grandmother was known as the "funny queen," and her husband was loved by all as the jester who brought laughter and joy to the kingdom. And they all lived happily ever after.

Reflections

1. What do you think the grandmother and her husband felt like when they were pretending to be the king and queen?

2. Can you think of any other silly decrees that the grandmother could have made while ruling the kingdom?

3. How do you think the real king and queen felt when they found out about the grandmother and her husband's plan?

4. Do you think you would have liked to live in the kingdom during the grandmother and her husband's silly reign?

5. What lesson do you think kids can learn from this story?