The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids

Story

A mother goat goes out, leaving her kids at home, warning them to beware of the wolf. The wolf comes calling but they refuse to let him in. He tricks his way into the house and eats all but one of the kids. Undaunted the mother goat rescues her children and the wolf meets a watery end.

Why We Chose it

This was one of the stories in our original audio stories collection. These stories are particularly suitable for learning to retell. It was also one of the Grimm's Remix Stories from the Woodshed in October 2020, chosen and told by Amantha Edmead.

Where it came from

The story comes from Germany and was told orally for many generations before being collected and written down.

Where it went next

It was one of those collected by the Brothers Grimm and included in the first edition of their Children's and Household Tales. It has appeared in a number of subsequent fairy tale collections and those who grew up in the 1960s may remember the Ladybird book version.

Associated stories

Wolves appear frequently in traditional tales from Europe. The best know are perhaps the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf in The Three Little Pigs, both of whom meet a similarly gory end. Wolves are common in Russian stories - a grey wolf helps Prince Ivan in The Firebird.

A number of picture books feature wolves including Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen and Footprints in the Snow by Mei Matsuoka, both of which have fun with fairy tale stereotypes.

In our programme

The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids was one of the Stories from the Woodshed in October 2020, chosen and told by Amantha Edmead. Watch the video below.