Centuries ago, there was a young girl named Mulan in ancient China. She lived with her parents and a dog whose name was Little Brother. Her father was once a great warrior but not anymore as he was injured in a war.

One day, terrible news comes that China’s enemy, the Huns, have invaded again. The emperor orders all the men in the country to fight. As her father could not fight, Mulan comes up with a plan. She offers a prayer to her ancestors, cuts off her hair with a sword and changes into her father’s warrior clothes.

While her parents are asleep, she takes along Mushu, a dragon, jumps on to Khan, her father’s horse, and goes to join the army, where everyone believes her to be a man. She meets Captain Li Shang at the training camp.

Mulan struggles at the training camp but impresses everyone by accomplishing the toughest task to retrieve an arrow from the highest pole.

Meanwhile, the Huns army surrounds the Chinese army. Mulan gets an idea and she uses Mushu’s fire to light a canon. This causes a huge avalanche and Huns get buried under the snow.

But when the snow starts racing, Khan and Mulan see that Shang is in danger and they pull him to safety. During the war, Mulan injures herself and a medic on duty discovers that she is a woman. The angry Shang leaves Mulan behind.

As Mulan sits disheartened, she hears Hun’s voices and realizes that they are alive and planning to attack the Chinese emperor. Mulan informs Shang about what she heard but he does not trust her.

When Shan Yu, the leader of the Huns, kidnaps the emperor, Mulan and Shang pair up to rescue the emperor. They defeat the Huns and free the emperor. Mulan is appreciated and praised for her bravery, by everyone including Captain Shang and her father.

Reading stories is like escaping into fantasy land. They take you to imaginary places and that is why children revel in stories. It makes their imagination vivid and prolific.

What is your child’s favorite short princess stories? Let us know in the comments section below.