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The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats

The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats is a classic story from Grimms' Fairy Tales, for children aged 3–6. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 3 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 7 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.

In this Grimm tale, the wolf disguises his voice and paw to trick seven little goats, but the youngest hides in the clock. With native English narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.

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Read The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats

Once upon a time, a mother goat had seven little goats. She loved them very much.

One day, she had to go into the forest to get food. "Watch out for the wolf," she said. "He has a rough voice and black feet. Don't open the door to him!" "We will be careful," said the little goats.

Soon there was a knock at the door. "Open the door, children. It's Mother!" But the voice was rough. "You are not our mother," said the little goats. "Our mother has a soft voice. You are the wolf!"

The wolf ate a big piece of chalk, and his voice became soft. He came back and knocked again. But he put his black paw on the window. "Our mother does not have black feet," said the little goats. "You are the wolf!"

So the wolf went to the baker and the miller. Soon his paws were covered in white flour. He came back a third time. "Show us your feet," said the little goats. The wolf showed them his white paw. The voice was soft, and the paw was white, so they opened the door.

It was the wolf! The little goats ran to hide. One hid under the table. One hid in the bed. One hid in the big clock, and the others hid around the house. But the wolf found six of them and swallowed them whole. He did not find the youngest goat in the clock. Then the wolf lay down under a tree and fell asleep.

When Mother Goat came home, the youngest goat jumped out of the clock and told her everything. Mother Goat found the wolf. He was snoring loudly, and something was moving in his tummy! Snip, snip! She cut it open, and out jumped the six little goats. They were all fine!

"Quick, bring some big stones," said Mother Goat. They put the stones in the wolf's tummy, and she sewed it up.

The wolf woke up. He was very thirsty, so he went to the well. The stones went bump, bump in his tummy. When he bent down to drink, the heavy stones pulled him into the well. He never came out again. The seven little goats danced around the well with their mother.

The Chinese version: 狼和七只小山羊

从前，有一只山羊妈妈，她有七只小山羊。她爱它们，就像天下所有的妈妈爱自己的孩子一样。

有一天，山羊妈妈要去森林里找吃的。出门前，她把孩子们叫到身边：“妈妈要出去一会儿，你们要当心大灰狼。它会装成别的样子，可是它嗓子粗，脚是黑的，一看就能认出来。”小山羊们说：“妈妈放心去吧，我们会小心的。”山羊妈妈咩咩叫了两声，出门了。

没过多久，有人敲门：“开门呀，好孩子，妈妈回来了，给你们每人都带了好吃的。”小山羊们一听那粗粗的嗓子，就喊：“我们不开！妈妈的声音又软又好听，你的声音粗得很。你是大灰狼！”

狼跑到小店里，买了一大块粉笔，一口吞了下去，嗓子变得细细的。它又来敲门：“开门呀，好孩子，妈妈回来了。”可是它把黑黑的爪子搭在了窗台上。小山羊们看见了，喊道：“我们不开！妈妈的脚可不是黑的。你是大灰狼！”

狼跑到面包师那儿：“我的脚碰伤了，给我抹点面团。”面包师给它抹上了面团。它又跑到磨坊主那儿：“给我的脚撒点白面粉。”磨坊主猜它要去骗人，不肯撒。狼凶巴巴地说：“你不撒，我就吃了你！”磨坊主害怕了，只好把它的爪子撒得白白的。

狼第三次来敲门：“开门呀，好孩子，妈妈从森林里回来了。”小山羊们说：“先把你的脚伸给我们看看。”狼把白白的爪子伸到窗口。声音是细的，脚是白的，小山羊们以为真是妈妈，就把门打开了。

进来的是大灰狼！小山羊们吓坏了，赶紧躲起来：第一只钻到桌子底下，第二只钻进被窝，第三只躲进炉子，第四只跑进厨房，第五只藏进柜子，第六只躲在洗衣盆下面，第七只钻进了大钟的钟箱里。可是狼一只一只把它们找了出来，一口一只吞进了肚子。只有钟箱里最小的那一只，狼没有找到。

狼吃饱了，慢吞吞地走到草地上，躺在大树底下，呼噜呼噜睡着了。

没多久，山羊妈妈回来了。家门大开着，桌子椅子倒了一地，被子枕头也被扯到了地上。她一个一个地叫孩子们的名字，谁也不答应。叫到最小的那个，才听见一个细细的声音：“妈妈，我在钟箱里！”小山羊爬出来，把发生的事全告诉了妈妈。山羊妈妈抱着它，伤心地哭了。

山羊妈妈带着最小的孩子来到草地上，看见狼躺在树下，鼾声震得树枝都在抖。狼的肚子里好像有什么在动。“我的孩子们会不会还活着？”山羊妈妈让小山羊跑回家拿来剪刀和针线，轻轻剪开狼的肚皮。刚剪一下，就有一只小山羊探出头来。六只小山羊一只接一只跳了出来，一点儿也没受伤，因为贪吃的狼是把它们整个吞下去的。

大家高兴得抱在一起。山羊妈妈说：“快去搬些大石头来，趁它还睡着，塞进它的肚子里。”七只小山羊搬来石头，塞进狼肚子，山羊妈妈飞快地缝好，狼一点儿也没觉察。

狼睡醒了，口渴得厉害，就往井边走。它一走，肚子里的石头就咕咚咕咚地响。狼嘟囔着：“肚子里咕咚咕咚，是什么在乱动？我吃的是六只小山羊，怎么像一堆大石头？”它走到井边，刚弯下腰喝水，沉甸甸的石头就把它拖进了井里，再也没有上来。

七只小山羊跑过来，大声喊：“大灰狼再也回不来啦！大灰狼再也回不来啦！”它们和妈妈一起，围着井高高兴兴地跳起舞来。

The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats: the moral of the story

Don't open the door when a grown-up isn't home. People who mean harm can pretend to be someone else, so look and listen carefully. And in danger, keep your head, like the youngest goat.

Chinese words in The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats

Play the Chinese narration and listen for these words. The pinyin shows the tones.

  • 狼láng

    wolf

  • 小山羊xiǎo shān yáng

    little goat, kid

  • 妈妈mā ma

    mom

  • 开门kāi mén

    to open the door

  • 粉笔fěn bǐ

    chalk

  • 面粉miàn fěn

    flour

  • 大钟dà zhōng

    big clock

  • 石头shí tou

    stone

Bedtime storytelling tips

  • Each time the wolf knocks, make his voice a little higher. Your child plays the goats and shouts, "You are the wolf!"
  • When the goats run to hide, count them on your fingers, then ask, "Where do you think the youngest one is hiding?"
  • In the Chinese version, listen for 开门 (kāi mén, open the door). It comes every time the wolf knocks, so it is an easy first phrase for children learning Chinese.

Things to talk about afterwards

  • What two things did Mother Goat say would give the wolf away?
  • How did the wolf trick the little goats into opening the door?
  • If someone knocks when no grown-up is home, what should you do?

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The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats: common questions

What is the moral of The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats?
Don't open the door when your parents are out, because someone who means harm can pretend to be someone else. And don't panic in danger: the youngest goat hides, then tells Mother Goat everything so the others can be saved.
Where did the seventh goat hide in The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats?
The youngest goat hid inside the big clock, in the wooden case of a tall, old-fashioned clock. The wolf did not find it there.
How did the wolf trick the little goats?
First he ate a big piece of chalk to make his rough voice soft. Then he went to the baker and the miller and got his black paw covered in white flour. With a soft voice and a white paw, he seemed like their mother, so they opened the door.
Is The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats a Grimm fairy tale?
Yes. It is no. 5 in the Brothers Grimm's Children's and Household Tales, first published in 1812. Some English translations call the goats kids, the word for young goats.
How does The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats end?
Mother Goat finds the wolf asleep, cuts open his tummy, and all six goats jump out unhurt, because he swallowed them whole. They fill him with stones, and when he bends down to drink at the well, the stones pull him in. He never comes out, and the goats dance around the well with their mother.

Source and how we retold it

From the Brothers Grimm, Children's and Household Tales, no. 5, Der Wolf und die sieben jungen Geißlein, first published in 1812 and now in the public domain. Our retelling follows the Grimm plot and keeps the chalk, the dough and flour on the wolf's paws, the youngest goat hiding in the clock case, and the stones in the wolf's tummy. Cutting open and sewing up the wolf is told briefly. In the original, the stones pull the wolf into the well and he drowns; here he falls into the well and never comes out again.

The narration on this page is AI-generated: the English is read by 英伦绅士 and the Chinese by 温柔妈妈. The audio files are labeled as AI-generated.

If you liked The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats, there are more stories in Grimms' Fairy Tales. You can also read this one to your child in your own voice.

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