Goldilocks and the 3 little bears


Goldilocks and the Three Bears


Goldilocks and the Three Bears was originally titled The Story of the Three Bears, published in the collection English Fairytales, retold by Flora Annie Steel (1922), illustrated by Arthur Rackham. We hope you think it's not too hot, not too cold, but JUST RIGHT!
This story is featured in our Favorite Fairy Tales.


Once upon a time there were three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood. One of them was a Little Wee Bear, and one was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great Big Bear. They had each a bowl for their porridge; a little bowl for the Little Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bowl for the Middle-sized Bear; and a great bowl for the Great Big Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for the Little Wee Bear; and a middle-sized chair for the Middle-sized Bear; and a great chair for the Great Big Bear. And they had each a bed to sleep in; a little bed for the Little Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bed for the Middle-sized Bear; and a great bed for the Great Big Bear.

One day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast, and poured it into their porridge-bowls, they walked out into the wood while the porridge was cooling, that they might not burn their mouths by beginning too soon, for they were polite, well-brought-up Bears. And while they were away a little girl called Goldilocks, who lived at the other side of the wood and had been sent on an errand by her mother, passed by the house, and looked in at the window. And then she peeped in at the keyhole, for she was not at all a well-brought-up little girl. Then seeing nobody in the house she lifted the latch. The door was not fastened, because the Bears were good Bears, who did nobody any harm, and never suspected that anybody would harm them. So Goldilocks opened the door and went in; and well pleased was she when she saw the porridge on the table. If she had been a well-brought-up little girl she would have waited till the Bears came home, and then, perhaps, they would have asked her to breakfast; for they were good Bears—a little rough or so, as the manner of Bears is, but for all that very good-natured and hospitable. But she was an impudent, rude little girl, and so she set about helping herself.

First she tasted the porridge of the Great Big Bear, and that was too hot for her. Next she tasted the porridge of the Middle-sized Bear, but that was too cold for her. And then she went to the porridge of the Little Wee Bear, and tasted it, and that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right, and she liked it so well that she ate it all up, every bit!

Then Goldilocks, who was tired, for she had been catching butterflies instead of running on her errand, sate down in the chair of the Great Big Bear, but that was too hard for her. And then she sate down in the chair of the Middle-sized Bear, and that was too soft for her. But when she sat down in the chair of the Little Wee Bear, that was neither too hard nor too soft, but just right. So she seated herself in it, and there she sate till the bottom of the chair came out, and down she came, plump upon the ground; and that made her very cross, for she was a bad-tempered little girl.

Now, being determined to rest, Goldilocks went upstairs into the bedchamber in which the Three Bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed of the Great Big Bear, but that was too high at the head for her. And next she lay down upon the bed of the Middle-sized Bear, and that was too high at the foot for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little Wee Bear, and that was neither too high at the head nor at the foot, but just right. So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay there till she fell fast asleep.

By this time the Three Bears thought their porridge would be cool enough for them to eat it properly; so they came home to breakfast. Now careless Goldilocks had left the spoon of the Great Big Bear standing in his porridge.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!"

said the Great Big Bear in his great, rough, gruff voice.

Then the Middle-sized Bear looked at his porridge and saw the spoon was standing in it too.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!"

said the Middle-sized Bear in his middle-sized voice.

Then the Little Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the porridge-bowl, but the porridge was all gone!

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE, AND HAS EATEN IT ALL UP!"

said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.

Upon this the Three Bears, seeing that some one had entered their house, and eaten up the Little Wee Bear's breakfast, began to look about them. Now the careless Goldilocks had not put the hard cushion straight when she rose from the chair of the Great Big Bear.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!"

said the Great Big Bear in his great, rough, gruff voice.

And the careless Goldilocks had squatted down the soft cushion of the Middle-sized Bear.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!"

said the Middle-sized Bear in his middle-sized voice.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR, AND HAS SATE THE BOTTOM THROUGH!"

said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.

Then the Three Bears thought they had better make further search in case it was a burglar, so they went upstairs into their bedchamber. Now Goldilocks had pulled the pillow of the Great Big Bear out of its place.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!"

said the Great Big Bear in his great, rough, gruff voice.

And Goldilocks had pulled the bolster of the Middle-sized Bear out of its place.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!"

said the Middle-sized Bear in his middle-sized voice.

But when the Little Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was the bolster in its place! And the pillow was in its place upon the bolster!

And upon the pillow——?

There was Goldilocks's yellow head—which was not in its place, for she had no business there.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED,—AND HERE SHE IS STILL!"

said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.

Now Goldilocks had heard in her sleep the great, rough, gruff voice of the Great Big Bear; but she was so fast asleep that it was no more to her than the roaring of wind, or the rumbling of thunder. And she had heard the middle-sized voice of the Middle-sized Bear, but it was only as if she had heard some one speaking in a dream. But when she heard the little wee voice of the Little Wee Bear, it was so sharp, and so shrill, that it awakened her at once. Up she started, and when she saw the Three Bears on one side of the bed, she tumbled herself out at the other, and ran to the window. Now the window was open, because the Bears, like good, tidy Bears, as they were, always opened their bedchamber window when they got up in the morning. So naughty, frightened little Goldilocks jumped; and whether she broke her neck in the fall, or ran into the wood and was lost there, or found her way out of the wood and got whipped for being a bad girl and playing truant, no one can say. But the Three Bears never saw anything more of her.


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Goldilocks and the Three Bears

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Picture by Bertie - a retake of the classic illustration by Walter Crane.

Duration 3:15.
Based on the Charming version by the Victorian writer Andrew Lang.
Read by Natasha.

Once upon a time there were three bears, who lived together in a house of their own in a wood. One of them was a little, small wee bear; one was a middle-sized bear, and the other was a great, huge bear.

One day, after they had made porridge for their breakfast, they walked out into the wood while the porridge was cooling. And while they were walking, a little girl came into the house. This little girl had golden curls that tumbled down her back to her waist, and everyone called her by Goldilocks.

Goldilocks went inside. First she tasted the porridge of the great, huge bear, and that was far too hot for her. And then she tasted the porridge of the middle bear, and that was too cold for her. And then she went to the porridge of the little, small wee bear, and tasted that. And that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right; and she liked it so well, that she ate it all up.

Then Goldilocks went upstairs into the bed chamber and first she lay down upon the bed of the great, huge bear, and then she lay down upon the bed of the middle bear and finally she lay down upon the bed of the little, small wee bear, and that was just right. So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay there until she fell fast asleep.

By this time, the three bears thought their porridge would be cool enough, so they came home to breakfast.

“SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!” said the great huge bear, in his great huge voice.

“Somebody has been at my porridge!” said the middle bear, in his middle voice.

Then the little, small wee bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the porridge pot, but the porridge was all gone.

“Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up!” said the little, small wee bear, in his little, small wee voice.

Then the three bears went upstairs into their bedroom.

“SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!” said the great, huge bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.

“Somebody has been lying in my bed!” said the middle bear, in his middle voice.

And when the little, small, wee bear came to look at his bed, upon the pillow there was a pool of golden curls, and the angelic face of a little girl snoring away, fast asleep.

“Somebody has been lying in my bed, and here she is!” Said the little, small wee bear, in his little, small wee voice.

Goldilocks jumped off the bed and ran downstairs, out of the door and down the garden path. She ran and she ran until she reached the house of her grandmama. When she told her grandmama about the house of the three bears who lived in the wood, her granny said: “My my, what a wild imagination you have, child!”

(Updated with shorter version September, 13, 2016).

Read online e-book Land of fairy tales. A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tales: Includes Pdf - Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Retelling a folk tale for free and without registration!

Once upon a time there was a daddy bear, a mommy bear and a baby bear cub. It is customary that bears live in dens, but this family settled in a beautiful tree house in the middle of the forest. It was small, but they lived in it very nicely.

As in any family, all the bears were different and used to live according to their own conveniences. Each of them had their own chair in the living room. Papa Bear sat in a wooden rocking chair by the fireplace. Mama bear is in an easy chair by the window. The baby bear had his own little chair next to the toy chest.

At night, all three bears slept in their own beds. Papa Bear had a big bed with a hard mattress. Mama bear loved to sleep in a medium sized bed with lots of soft pillows. The little teddy bear slept in a small crib, which was just right for him in length and breadth.

One morning papa bear cooked porridge for his family for breakfast, poured it into three different bowls, and the bears sat down at the table to have breakfast. Father, mother and son rarely agreed, but after tasting the porridge, they all agreed that it was too hot.

– Maybe we can take a walk while the porridge is getting cold? Dad suggested. We haven't been out with the whole family for a long time.

Mother bear and baby bear thought it was a wonderful idea, and together they went for a walk in the forest.

On the same day, a little girl from a nearby village was walking near their home. For her beautiful golden curls, she was nicknamed Goldilocks.

Surprisingly, Goldilocks did not meet the bears in the forest, although she reached their house shortly after they left. She had never seen such a home before. Goldilocks was a curious girl who loved to explore new places, so she knocked to ask to come in.

She knocked hard and was very surprised when the door swung open. The bears forgot to lock it behind them.

- Hey! Is there anyone at home? Goldilocks called, but only an echo came back.

Without waiting for an answer, Goldilocks decided to wander around the house. The smell of fresh porridge led her to the kitchen, and the girl saw three bowls on the table.


– Porridge! My lovely! - she exclaimed.

During the walk, Goldilocks got so hungry that she completely forgot about decorum. She grabbed a spoon, tasted Papa Bear's porridge without asking, and immediately burned herself.

“Too hot,” Goldilocks said.

She moved over and scooped up some mama bear porridge. Her bowl was much closer to the window, and the porridge had cooled so much that it didn’t even taste like porridge.

“Too cold,” said Goldilocks.

She moved further and tried the baby bear's porridge. And she smiled, deciding that porridge should taste like this.

- That's it! - she said.

Goldilocks ate the baby bear's porridge clean and began to look for a place to rest. She walked into the living room and sat in Papa Bear's rocking chair. It was so hard that it hurt her to sit in it.

“Too hard,” Goldilocks said.

She moved to the mama bear chair. It was so soft that the girl almost drowned in it.

“Too soft,” said Goldilocks.

She didn't manage to get out of the bear's chair right away. And when it did work out, Goldilocks sat down in the little bear's chair, and it fit her.

- That's it! - the girl said happily.

As soon as she leaned back in her chair, it suddenly collapsed right under her. Before Goldilocks looked back, she was on the floor. She had never broken her chair and was very frightened.

“I must have overeaten the porridge,” the girl said.

There were no more comfortable chairs left, and Goldilocks decided to rest on the bed, especially since after a long day of walking she was not averse to taking a nap. The girl went to the bedroom and lay down on the bed of Papa Bear.

“Too hard,” she said.

Goldilocks jumped out of bed and climbed into the mother bear's bed. Like the chair, her bed was so soft that Goldilocks sank into it and barely got out.

“Too soft,” she said.

The only thing left in the bedroom is the baby bear's bed. Goldilocks sat down on her to make sure the bed would support her. Then she climbed under the covers and lay down comfortably.

“That’s the best…” she muttered, yawning, closed her eyes and immediately fell fast asleep.

Soon a family of bears returned from a walk. They rejoiced and rejoiced until they saw that the door of their house was wide open.

- It's strange, I remember, I closed the door, - said the mother bear.

- Looks like we have uninvited guests! growled Papa Bear.

The bears rushed into the house. They first searched the kitchen, but found nothing out of the ordinary except for an empty porridge bowl.

- Someone ate my breakfast! - said the baby bear.

The bears then searched the living room, but found only a broken armchair.

- Someone broke my chair! - the little bear cub sobbed.

Only the bedroom remains. Papa Bear released his claws and headed there, not knowing who he would find there.

- Someone is sleeping in my bed! exclaimed the baby bear. - Yes, it's a girl!

The bears were very surprised that a little girl could make such a mess. They gathered by the bed and looked at her. Goldilocks felt this, woke up and saw bears around her. She screamed so loudly that all three bears covered their ears.

Goldilocks jumped out of the bedroom, ran through the living room, rushed past the kitchen and quickly rushed out the door. The bears chased the girl through the forest for a long time, until they decided that now she certainly would not return to their home.

That's how Goldilocks learned that you can't eat someone else's porridge without asking, sit in someone else's armchairs, sleep in someone else's bed, and go into other people's houses. And she never did that again.

End

Goldilocks and the Three Bears. English fairy tale

Three bears lived in a beautiful stone house in the forest: Papa Bear - a big big one, Mama Bear - a little smaller, and a little bear cub, Mishutka. Each of them had their own bowl for stew: a small one for Mishutka, a medium one for Bear, and a large one for Papa Bear. At dinner, everyone sat in their own chair: Mishutka - on the smallest one, Mama Bear - on the middle one, and Papa Bear - on the largest one. Everyone had their own bed: Mishutka slept on the smallest one, Mama Bear on the middle one, and Papa Bear on the largest one.

One day Mama Bear cooked delicious stew for dinner and poured it into bowls. But the stew was very hot, you had to wait until it cools down. Therefore, the bears took a basket each and went for a walk in the forest, and at the same time to pick berries.

While the bears were walking, a little girl came out along the forest path to their house. Her name was Goldilocks because she had beautiful golden hair. First she looked through the window, then looked through the keyhole, and finally called:

– Hey, is anyone home?

But, of course, no one answered her. Then she just lifted the latch and pushed the door.

The door was not locked, the bears lived peacefully, did no harm to anyone and did not expect anything bad from anyone. Goldilocks entered the house and looked around. She was very happy to see a large table in the middle of the room, and on it were three bowls of stew.

If Goldilocks had been a well-mannered girl, she would have waited for the bears to return - surely they would have invited her to dine with them. After all, the bears were indeed kind, although, of course, they grumbled at times, like all bears. Nevertheless, they had an agreeable disposition, and they loved guests. But Goldilocks was very tired and hungry. She walked over to the table and tasted the chowder from the biggest bowl, Papa Bear.

– Oh, how hot! - she said. Then she scooped a spoon out of Mama Bear's bowl and grimaced, “Ugh, really cold. Then she saw the smallest bowl, Mishutkina, and tried his stew: - Mmm, but this one is just right.

She liked the stew so much that the girl ate everything to the last drop. After eating, Goldilocks decided to take some rest and climbed onto Papa Bear's chair.

– Oh, how tough! she exclaimed, and moved to Mama Bear's chair. “But it’s too soft here,” she said, and moved to the smallest chair, Mishutkin.

“Oh, this one is just right,” she happily jumped on it. Suddenly the chair collapsed under her, and Goldilocks fell straight to the floor.

However, she was no stranger to falling, she got up, dusted herself off and, looking around, saw a ladder. The girl climbed it and ended up in the bear's bedroom. There were three beds here. Goldilocks immediately climbed the biggest one - Papa Bear.

“Oh, how hard,” she said, jumping on it a little, and lay down on the middle bed - Mama Bear.

– Too soft here.

Finally, she moved onto the smallest bed, Mishutkina: – This one is just right!

Tired Goldilocks settled herself comfortably and fell asleep soundly. In the meantime, the bears walked around the forest and, deciding that their stew had already cooled down, returned home to have lunch and rest.

Papa Bear immediately saw the spoon that Goldilocks had left in his bowl.

– Who ate my stew? he roared in a terrible voice.

Mama Bear came up to the table and also saw a spoon in her bowl.

– Who ate my stew? she growled.

Then Mishutka came running and saw that a spoon had also been left in his bowl, but the stew was gone.

- Someone ate my stew and ate it all! he shouted in his thin voice.

The bears realized that someone had visited their house and left Mishutka without lunch. They began to look around and look around. Papa Bear immediately noticed that his chair had been moved from its usual place.

– Who was sitting in my chair? he roared again.

Mother Bear also saw that her chair was out of place.

– Who was sitting in my chair? she growled.

You already know what happened to the third chair that Goldilocks jumped on.

- Someone was sitting on my chair and broke it! shouted Mishutka in his thin voice.


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