Frame tale

When you read a book or a story, sometimes there is a little story inside the big story. This little story is called a "frame tale".

Let's pretend you have a dollhouse. Inside the dollhouse there is a little room with a tiny bookshelf. On that bookshelf, there is a teeny-tiny book with a story inside. That teeny-tiny book is the "frame tale".

Now, let's imagine you have a big story book. Inside that big story book, there is a small story about a mouse who goes on an adventure. That small story is the "frame tale".

So basically, a frame tale is a smaller story within a bigger story. It's like a little surprise inside a bigger surprise!