The Three Little Pigs
6 min readages 4–10
A mother pig sends her three little pigs out into the world, where each one builds a house of his own, one of straw, one of sticks, and one of sturdy brick. When a hungry wolf comes calling with his famous huff and puff, only the cleverest pig and his brick house are ready to outwit him for good.
Once upon a time, back when animals still spoke like people, there lived an old mother pig with three little pigs. She hadn't enough to feed them all, so when they were grown she sent them out into the world to make their own way and build their own homes.
The first little pig had not gone far when he met a man carrying a bundle of straw. “Please, sir,” said the pig, “will you give me that straw to build a house?” The man agreed, and the little pig built himself a snug straw house and settled in happily.
Before long, a wolf came prowling by. He knocked at the door and called out:
“Little pig, little pig, let me come in!”
“No, no, by the hair of my chinny chin chin!” answered the pig.
“Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!”
And huff and puff he did, until the straw walls came tumbling down. Sad to say, the wolf caught the little pig there and then, and that was the end of him.
The second little pig set off too, and before long he met a man carrying a bundle of sticks. “Please, sir,” said the pig, “will you give me those sticks to build a house?” The man agreed, and the little pig built himself a house of sticks, sturdier than straw, or so he thought.
Soon enough, the wolf came along and knocked at this door too.
“Little pig, little pig, let me come in!”
“No, no, by the hair of my chinny chin chin!”
“Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!”
He huffed and puffed harder this time, but at last the stick house came down just the same. And just like his brother before him, the second little pig met his end that day.
The third little pig, the wisest of the three, met a man carrying a load of bricks. “Please, sir,” said the pig, “will you give me those bricks to build a house?” The man agreed, and the little pig built himself a fine, strong house of brick, with a good sturdy door and a smoking chimney.
When the wolf came calling, he knocked and said the same as before:
“Little pig, little pig, let me come in!”
“No, no, by the hair of my chinny chin chin!”
“Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!”
So the wolf huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, until he was quite out of breath. But huff and puff as he might, the brick house would not budge, not one single brick.
Now the wolf was cunning as well as hungry, and when he saw that huffing would get him nowhere, he thought of another plan. “Little pig,” he called sweetly, “I know a fine field of turnips over at Farmer Smith's. If you're ready at six o'clock tomorrow, I'll come by and we'll go and gather some together.”
“Very well,” said the little pig, “I'll be ready.” But he was not so easily fooled. He rose at five, gathered a fine potful of turnips, and was home again long before the wolf ever came knocking. When the wolf arrived and asked if he was ready, the little pig only laughed and said he'd already been and come back.
The wolf, quite put out, tried again. “Little pig, I know a lovely apple tree in Merry Garden. Shall I call for you at five tomorrow, and we'll gather some apples?” Once again the little pig rose early, before the sun was even properly up, and was climbing down from the tree with a basket of apples when he spied the wolf coming up the path. Quick as anything, he tossed an apple far off into the grass, and while the wolf went chasing after it, the little pig scampered home safe and sound.
The wolf tried once more. “There's a fair in town this afternoon, little pig. Will you come along?” The little pig went early, as always, and at the fair he bought himself a big wooden butter churn. On his way home, he spotted the wolf coming up the lane, and not knowing what else to do, he climbed inside the churn to hide. But the churn began to roll, faster and faster, bumping and rumbling down the hill straight at the wolf, who got such a fright at the sight of the strange round thing chasing him that he turned tail and ran all the way home without ever reaching the fair.
When the wolf realized he had been frightened off by nothing more than a little pig in a butter churn, he was angrier than ever, and he made up his mind to get into that brick house no matter what. That evening, while the little pig sat warm and safe by his fire, he heard a scratching and scrabbling up on the roof, and he knew at once that the wolf meant to come down the chimney after him.
So the clever little pig hung a great pot of water over the fire and built the flames up high and hot. Just as the wolf came sliding down the chimney, the little pig lifted the lid, and in went the wolf with a splash and a yelp. The little pig quickly clapped the lid back on, and that was the very end of the wolf, and he never troubled anyone again.
And so the third little pig, safe and snug in his strong brick house, lived happily ever after.