Nina and the Midnight Shoes: A Fairy Tale to Color and a Thoughtful Thank-You

A pair of shoes appears overnight. Then another pair, and another. Who is helping Nina in her little workshop? Nina and the Midnight Shoes is our new, gentle retelling inspired by the Brothers Grimm’s The Elves and the Shoemaker, for children ages 4–7. The familiar mystery leads to a simple question: how do we notice the people who help us?

The story takes about five minutes to read aloud and is available in English, Italian and Spanish. There are six illustrated scenes, a cover, questions to discuss and a free PDF containing all seven coloring pages. Plan around 20–30 minutes for reading and one coloring activity, or spread the story over several days.

Before reading: look for clues

Open the story and choose your language. Look at Nina’s empty shelf and the leather on the table in scene one. Ask, “What could she make with these pieces?” After scene two, compare the same workbench. Children can point out what has changed before suggesting who might have visited.

For ages 4–5, read two scenes at a time and accept a gesture or a few words as an answer. For ages 6–7, ask what evidence supports a guess, then return to that guess when the elves appear.

Print one scene or the whole coloring packet

Use a scene’s print button for a single illustration, the complete-story print button for seven separate pages, or the PDF download to save the packet. The PDF contains the drawings; the translated story stays on the website. You only need paper and crayons or colored pencils.

Let children choose their own colors. They might keep the same apron color across scenes to recognize Nina, or give each elf a different hat. The printable artwork has white coloring spaces and a complete black border.

Put the workshop story back in order

After reading, mix up scenes two, four and five. Ask children to arrange them: shoes appear, Nina discovers the helpers, Nina prepares a gift. Look for clues such as the bare feet and the tiny boots. Then add the remaining scenes and tell the whole story using “first,” “next” and “finally.”

Invent a thank-you that fits

Nina notices patched clothes and bare feet, so she makes something her visitors can use. Fold a sheet of paper into a card and invite your child to draw someone who helped them, the help they received and a thank-you they would like to offer. A picture, kind words or help tidying shared crayons can be enough.

A shared classroom ending

Give pairs of children different scenes to color, then build a six-picture display. Invite one child to describe an action and another to describe a feeling. Children who prefer not to speak can point to a clue. Finish by noticing how the elves work together and how Nina continues her craft after their farewell.

This is an original adaptation, with Nina, a little bell and new dialogue. It keeps the secret shoemaking and the gift of clothes from the Grimm tale. In our illustrations the elves wear patched tunics from the start. For a related activity, try Sequence and Color and practice telling another small story in order.

A two-page version for a short session

Read the story on screen, then print just scenes four and five: the barefoot helpers and Nina’s gifts. Place the sheets side by side. Ask the child to point to something Nina notices and something she makes in response. If you are short of time, color only one gift and let the child explain who it is for; the rest can wait.

For a separate picture sequence about preparing a present, open Wrapping a Gift. The paper flaps, closed parcel and bow help distinguish the four stages. This is an optional follow-up, not another task needed to finish Nina’s story.