Once upon a time in a cozy forest, there were three little pigs named Huey, Dewey, and Louie. They were the best of brothers and decided it was time to each build their own house.
One sunny morning, Huey, the most carefree of the trio, decided to build a house of straw. As he was tying the last bundle, his brother Dewey came trotting over.
“Huey, why build a house of straw?” Dewey asked, scratching his ear with a puzzled look.
Huey chuckled, “Oh, it’s quick and easy, and I can spend the rest of the day relaxing and playing in the meadow!”
Dewey shook his head and said, “Well, I’m going to build mine with sticks. A bit stronger than straw, you know.” And so, he set off to gather sticks.
Meanwhile, the third brother, Louie, who was known for his wisdom and caution, chose to build his house out of bricks. He knew it would take a little longer, but he also knew it would stand strong and safe.
As the three brothers worked, a sly wolf watched from the shadows. He had been thinking about how long it had been since he’d had a good meal, and those plump pigs seemed just perfect.
Once Huey and Dewey were done, they started playing and laughing, ignoring Louie’s advice to build a stronger house. Louie just tsk-tsked and continued laying bricks meticulously.
The very next day, the wolf approached Huey’s straw house. He knocked on the door and said in his smoothest voice, “Little pig, little pig, let me in!”
But Huey was no fool. He replied, “Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!”
With a huff and a puff, the wolf blew the house down. Huey, scared out of his wits, ran as fast as his little legs would carry him to Dewey’s house of sticks.
The wolf followed and knocked on Dewey’s door. “Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!” he growled, a bit of straw still stuck in his fur.
Again came the reply, “Not by the hair of our chinny chin chins!”
But the wolf blew Dewey’s house down just as easily. Huey and Dewey barely escaped and scampered to Louie’s brick house, the wolf hot on their heels.
The wolf tried his trick again. “Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!” he bellowed outside the sturdy brick house.
And all three pigs shouted, “Not by the hair of our chinny chin chins!”
The wolf huffed and puffed with all his might, but the brick house stood firm. Frustrated and out of breath, the wolf thought of a clever plan. He climbed onto the roof and shouted down the chimney, “Then I’ll come down and get you!”
Quick-thinking Louie had anticipated this and had a pot of boiling water waiting under the chimney. The wolf came tumbling down and — SPLASH! — right into the hot water.
With a yelp, the wolf jumped out and ran away as fast as he could, never to bother the little pigs again.
The three little pigs learned their lesson. Huey and Dewey thanked Louie for his wisdom and decided that from then on, they would take their time to do things the right way.
And so, the three little pigs lived happily ever after, safe and sound in the brick house, and they were never bothered by the wolf or anyone else again.
Also Read: The Little Blue Cat from our collection of Bedtime Stories about Cats
Follow Up Questions
- Why do you think the first two pigs decided to build their houses out of straw and sticks?
- How did the third pig’s choice of building material help save all the pigs?
- What would you do if you were the third pig and saw the wolf coming?
Background of the Story
“The Three Little Pigs” is a classic folk tale that has been told and retold in various forms over centuries, and its original author is unknown. It was first written down and published with different versions in the 19th century, but it existed as an oral story long before that.
The story was famously included in English fairy tale collections such as those by Joseph Jacobs, who included it in his book “English Fairy Tales” first published in 1890.