The Three Little Pigs

The Story of the Three Little Pigs

Once upon a time when pigs spoke rhyme, And monkeys chewed tobacco, And hens took snuff to make them tough, And ducks went quack, quack, quack, O!

There was an old mother pig with three little pigs. She didn't have enough food to feed them all. So she sent them out to find their own way in the world.

The first little pig walked along and met a man carrying a bundle of straw. The little pig said:

"Please, man, give me that straw to build me a house."

The man gave him the straw, and the little pig built a house with it. Soon a wolf came along. He knocked at the door and said:

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

The pig answered:

"No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin."

The wolf said:

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."

So he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew the house in. And he ate up the little pig.

The second little pig met a man carrying a bundle of sticks. The little pig said:

"Please, man, give me those sticks to build a house."

The man gave him the sticks, and the little pig built his house. Then along came the wolf and said:

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

"No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin."

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."

So he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed. At last he blew the house down. And he ate up the little pig.

The third little pig met a man carrying a load of bricks. The little pig said:

"Please, man, give me those bricks to build a house."

The man gave him the bricks, and the little pig built his house with them. The wolf came, just as he had come to the other little pigs, and said:

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

"No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin."

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."

So he huffed and he puffed. He puffed and he huffed. He huffed and he puffed some more. But he could not get the house down. He could not blow it in, no matter how hard he tried.

So the wolf tried a different plan. He said:

"Little pig, I know where there is a nice field of turnips."

"Where?" said the little pig.

"In Mr. Smith's field. If you are ready tomorrow morning, I will come for you. We will go together and get some for dinner."

"Very well," said the little pig. "I will be ready. What time shall we go?"

"Six o'clock," said the wolf.

The little pig got up at five. He went to the field and got the turnips before the wolf came. The wolf arrived at six and called out:

"Little pig, are you ready?"

The little pig said: "Ready! I have already been and come back again. I have a nice potful cooking for dinner."

The wolf was very angry. But he thought he would trick the little pig another way. He said:

"Little pig, I know where there is a nice apple tree."

"Where?" said the pig.

"Down at Merry-garden," said the wolf. "If you don't trick me, I will come for you at five o'clock tomorrow and we will get some apples."

The little pig got up at four o'clock the next morning. He went off to get the apples, hoping to be back before the wolf came. But it was further away, and he had to climb the tree. Just as he was coming back down, he saw the wolf coming. That gave him a very big fright.

When the wolf reached the tree, he said:

"Little pig, what! You are here before me? Are they nice apples?"

"Yes, very nice," said the little pig. "I will throw one down to you."

He threw the apple so far that the wolf had to run to pick it up. While the wolf was gone, the little pig jumped down from the tree and ran all the way home.

The next day the wolf came again and said:

"Little pig, there is a fair at Shanklin this afternoon. Will you go?"

"Oh yes," said the pig. "I will go. What time shall we leave?"

"Three o'clock," said the wolf.

The little pig set off early, as usual. He got to the fair and bought a butter churn. He was heading home with it when he saw the wolf coming. He didn't know what to do. So he climbed inside the churn to hide. That made it tip over. It rolled all the way down the hill with the little pig inside. It gave the wolf such a fright that he ran straight home without ever going to the fair.

Later, the wolf went to the little pig's house. He told the pig how scared he had been by a great round thing that came rolling down the hill past him. The little pig said:

"Ha! That was me who frightened you. I had been to the fair and bought a butter churn. When I saw you coming, I got inside it and rolled down the hill."

The wolf was very angry indeed. He said he would eat up the little pig, and that he would climb down the chimney to get him. The little pig saw what the wolf was up to. He hung a big pot full of water over the fire and made the flames blaze up high. Just as the wolf came down the chimney, the little pig took the lid off the pot. Down fell the wolf, right into the boiling water. The little pig put the lid back on straight away. He boiled the wolf up and ate him for supper.

And the little pig lived happily ever after.