Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Little Bear left their cottage for a walk. Goldilocks passed by and entered without asking. She tasted three bowls of porridge. Little Bear's was just right, and she ate it all. She tried three chairs, then fell asleep in Little Bear's bed. When the bears returned, they noticed everything that had been moved. Goldilocks woke and saw them. She apologized for entering and for eating the porridge. Little Bear said that next time she should knock. Goldilocks agreed and hurried home.
A First Stories tale
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Slide left for a simpler telling and right for more detail. Your choice carries to the next story.
Open this version in the audiobook shelfThree bears went for a walk while their porridge cooled. Goldilocks found their door open. She went inside, tasted the porridge, and fell asleep in a little bed. The bears came home and found her. Goldilocks woke up. “I'm sorry I came in,” she said. She went home, and the bears enjoyed the rest of their day.
Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Little Bear left their cottage for a walk. Goldilocks passed by and entered without asking. She tasted three bowls of porridge. Little Bear's was just right, and she ate it all. She tried three chairs, then fell asleep in Little Bear's bed. When the bears returned, they noticed everything that had been moved. Goldilocks woke and saw them. She apologized for entering and for eating the porridge. Little Bear said that next time she should knock. Goldilocks agreed and hurried home.
The bears' porridge was too hot, so they went for a walk. Soon Goldilocks came upon their cottage. She knocked, but no one answered. Curious, she stepped inside anyway. Papa Bear's porridge was too hot. Mama Bear's was too cool. Little Bear's tasted just right, and Goldilocks finished it. She tried the chairs and accidentally cracked Little Bear's. Upstairs, she tested the beds and fell asleep in the smallest one.
The bears returned to a surprising sight. Their bowls, chairs, and beds had all been disturbed. Little Bear was especially sad about his chair. When Goldilocks woke, she saw the family looking at her. She apologized, offered to help mend the chair, and promised never to enter someone else's home without permission again. Papa Bear walked her to the path, and Goldilocks remembered to knock the next time she visited a neighbor.
One morning, three bears made porridge and set it on the table to cool. They went out together, leaving their little cottage quiet. Goldilocks was walking nearby when she noticed the open door. She called hello. Hearing no answer, she persuaded herself it would do no harm to peek inside.
Her curiosity carried her farther than a peek. She tasted every bowl of porridge, finishing Little Bear's. She tried each chair; the smallest cracked under her. Upstairs she found three beds, and the smallest was so comfortable that she fell asleep.
The bears came home and noticed the changes at once. Papa Bear saw his spoon, Mama Bear saw her chair, and Little Bear saw his empty bowl and broken seat. Upstairs, they found Goldilocks in his bed. She woke in fright. Instead of running, she listened to Little Bear explain why he was upset. She apologized and helped Papa Bear repair the chair. The bears guided her back to the path. Goldilocks had thought of the cottage as an adventure, but she now understood it was somebody's home.
The bear family had made breakfast early. While their porridge cooled, they took a walk through the woods. Goldilocks found their cottage with its door slightly open. She knocked and waited. When no one answered, she stepped across the threshold, telling herself she would only look around. A few minutes later she was tasting porridge from three bowls.
The first serving burned her tongue; the second was cold. The smallest bowl suited her, and she ate its contents. She then tried three chairs, cracking the smallest one, and climbed upstairs to test the beds. Sleep came before she could consider how far she had overstepped.
The bears returned to find evidence of a visitor in every room. Papa Bear noticed his spoon out of place. Mama Bear found crumbs on the floor. Little Bear found no breakfast and a damaged chair. When they discovered Goldilocks asleep, they woke her. She was startled by their size, but Little Bear's disappointed face troubled her more.
Goldilocks admitted what she had done without making excuses. She helped repair the chair and promised to replace the porridge. The bears showed her the path home. Curiosity had led her to a new place, but curiosity did not give her a right to other people's food, furniture, or privacy.
Inspired by English Fairy Tales, collected by Joseph Jacobs. This text is a new adaptation.