The plot of the poem is true to the original version, at least for a time; Cinderella is confined to the cellar of her wicked stepmother's house, cleaning and waiting hand and foot on her ugly sisters. Cinderella goes to a magical ball, where she spies the handsome Prince, but before he can talk to her the clock strikes midnight and she has to leave. She drops a shoe on the way, but one of her sisters switches it for a shoe of her own instead, so that when the Prince comes looking for the foot that fit into the shoe, the only person that it fits is Cinderella's ugly sister. He is disgusted by this and chops off her head. He then chops off the head of the second sister as well. As he moves on to Cindy, she summons her Fairy Godmother and wishes that she could be married to a good man instead. Her wish is granted; she marries a normal, everyday man who makes jam for a living.
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack's beanstalk grows tall and strong, and at the very top there are golden leaves. Jack's mother tells him to climb the beanstalk and harvest the golden leaves, but he hears the giant threatening him and so climbs back down again so that he will not get eaten. Jack's mother is annoyed with him, tells him he is smelly (thereby explaining how the giant came to smell him in the first place) and shins up the beanstalk herself - but she is eaten. Jack takes a bath, thinking that his mother might have a point about his personal hygiene. He climbs up the beanstalk, picks all the leaves and climbs down again safely, as the giant is unable to smell him now that he is clean. Jack is rich beyond his wildest expectations, and makes the decision that from now on he will bathe every day.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Unlike the other stories, Dahl's poem remains true to the original fairy tale throughout; the difference in the telling, thought, is that as the narrator he points out how dreadful Goldilocks' behavior is and how anyone would take the side of the Three Bears. After all, she has broken into their home, eaten their food, used their furniture, and seems to be under the impression that she has every right to do so. The narrator also voices his wish that the Three Bears had come home and eaten Goldilocks because it would have served her right.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White's story follows the traditional one, that is, until the huntsman arrives, and agrees not to kill her as he had intended to. Reprieved, she takes a job as housekeeper and cook to seven former jockeys. They are addicted to gambling on horse races but are not very good at it at all. Snow White decides that they need the help of the magic mirror that she had left at her former home. She sneaks back to fetch it and it magically predicts the result of all of the horse races the jockeys bet on. This makes all of them millionaires, including Snow White herself.
Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf
The Wolf breaks into Grandma's house and eats her up. He puts on her clothes and disguises himself so that he can lure Little Red Riding Hood into the house, and eat her as well. He has wildly underestimated Little Red Riding Hood. She pulls a pistol out of her panties and shoots the wolf dead. Then she makes him into a new wolfskin coat.
The Three Little Pigs
The Narrator likes pigs more than any other animal, but takes a very dim view of the brainpower of these particular three. The wolf blows down the houses they have built out of straw and sticks, and promptly eats the first and second little pigs. House number three is make from bricks and he cannot blow it down, so he returns with dynamite, intending to blow it up. Little Pig Three calls in reinforcements; he asks Little Red Riding Hood to come over and deal with the wolf because she has a reputation as a sharp shooter. She shoots the wolf, and earns herself another wolfskin coat; unfortunately for Little Pig Three, she also gets a pigskin traveling case.
