Once upon a time, three little pigs lived with their mother in a cozy farmhouse. One spring day, Mother Pig said, "You're big now, my darlings. It's time to build little houses of your own, close by, so you can come home for supper every Sunday." The three little pigs kissed her goodbye and trotted off down the lane. Trot, trot, trot.
The first little pig met a farmer with a cart full of straw. "Straw is quick!" he said. He built a straw house in the morning and napped all afternoon. The second little pig found a big pile of sticks. "Sticks are quick too!" He built a stick house by lunchtime and played his fiddle all evening. The third little pig bought a load of red bricks. Brick by brick, brick by brick, he worked all day long. His brothers called, "Come and play!" "Soon," he said, "when my house is nice and strong."
Now, over the hill lived a big grey wolf. He wasn't a very happy wolf. His den was damp and drafty, he had no friends to talk to, and all that made him very, very grumpy. When he saw the brand-new straw house, he stomped up to the door. "Little pig, little pig, let me come in! I want a nice dry house of my own!" "No, no, not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!" "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!"
And he huffed... and he puffed... WHOOOOSH! The straw flew up like confetti. The first little pig tumbled out, perfectly fine, and ran lickety-split to his brother's stick house. The wolf stomped after him. "Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in!" "No, no, not by the hair of our chinny chin chins!" "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!" And he huffed... and he puffed... WHOOOOSH! The sticks went clatter-clatter all over the grass. The two little pigs scampered, safe and sound, to the brick house.
The wolf stomped after them. "Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in!" "No, no, not by the hair of our chinny chin chins!" "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!" He huffed. He puffed. He HUFFED and he PUFFED, until his cheeks were as round as balloons. But the brick house didn't wobble one little bit. At last the wolf sat down on the doorstep, all out of breath. Then it started to rain. Drip, drip, drip. The wolf wrapped his tail around himself and gave a long, sad sniff.
Inside, the three little pigs peeked out from behind the curtain. "He looks cold," said the first little pig. "He looks lonely," said the second little pig. The third little pig thought for a moment. Then he opened the door just a crack. "Mr. Wolf, why do you want our houses so much?" The wolf's ears drooped. "My den is wet and cold, and I have nobody to talk to. I was grumpy, and I was rude. I'm sorry I blew your houses down."
The third little pig opened the door wide. "Come in and get warm. We're having vegetable soup." So the wolf sat by the warm stove, sipping soup, slurp, slurp, and for the first time in a long time, he smiled. "This soup is delicious," he said. "And your house is so strong. Could you teach me to build one?" "Only if you help us rebuild the straw house and the stick house first," said the third little pig. "Deal!" said the wolf, and they shook paw and trotter.
The next morning they all got to work. The pigs mixed the mortar and the wolf carried the bricks. When the mortar was wet, the wolf went huff and puff, WHOOSH, and it dried in no time. When the washing on the line was wet, huff and puff, WHOOSH, dry as a bone. Soon there were four sturdy brick houses in a row: one for each little pig, and one for the wolf, with a bright blue door.
On Sunday, they all walked to Mother Pig's farmhouse for supper. The wolf brought a bunch of wildflowers. After supper, the wolf huffed and puffed at the farm's old windmill, and round and round it spun, whirr, whirr, whirr. The three little pigs clapped and cheered. "Hooray for our huffing, puffing friend!"
Parent tip: Puff out your cheeks and blow gently on each 'huff and puff', and let your child shout the 'not by the hair of my chinny chin chin' reply.
Ask your child: After the story, you can ask: “Who was kind in this story, and what did they do?”
A gentle retelling of a classic tale — nothing scary: the pigs always run to safety and the grumpy wolf becomes their friend.