Goldilocks and the Three Bears

A curious girl visits the cozy house of three friendly bears, and learns that some chairs, bowls and beds are just right.

  • Ages 3–8
  • 5 min to read aloud
  • 6 min narrated in the app
  • Robert Southey, The Story of the Three Bears (1837) and later folk versions
Illustration: Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Listen to the beginning Narrated preview in English · the whole story (6 min) is in the app

Once upon a time, in a house at the edge of the woods, there lived three bears.

There was a great big Papa Bear, with a great big voice. There was a middle-sized Mama Bear, with a middle-sized voice. And there was a teeny-tiny Baby Bear, with a teeny-tiny voice.

One morning, Mama Bear made porridge for breakfast. She poured it into three bowls: a great big bowl, a middle-sized bowl, and a teeny-tiny bowl. But the porridge was too hot to eat.

"Let's go for a walk while it cools," said Papa Bear. So off they went, into the sunny woods.

Not long after, a little girl with golden curls came skipping along the path. Her name was Goldilocks. She saw the little house, and the door was open just a crack. She peeked inside. "Hello?" she called. But nobody answered.

On the table, she saw three bowls of porridge. It smelled so good!

She tasted the porridge in the great big bowl. "Too hot!" she said.

She tasted the porridge in the middle-sized bowl. "Too cold!" she said.

She tasted the porridge in the teeny-tiny bowl. "Mmm… just right!" And she ate it all up.

Then Goldilocks saw three chairs.

She sat in the great big chair. "Too hard!" she said.

She sat in the middle-sized chair. "Too soft!" she said.

She sat in the teeny-tiny chair. "Just right!" But the teeny-tiny chair went creak… crack! and one of its legs came loose.

Goldilocks felt very sleepy now. She climbed the stairs and found three beds.

She lay on the great big bed. "Too high!"

She lay on the middle-sized bed. "Too low!"

She lay on the teeny-tiny bed. "Just right." And she snuggled under the blanket and fell fast asleep.

Soon, the three bears came home.

"Someone's been eating my porridge," said Papa Bear in his great big voice.

"Someone's been eating my porridge," said Mama Bear in her middle-sized voice.

"Someone's been eating my porridge," said Baby Bear in his teeny-tiny voice, "and they've eaten it all up!"

They looked at the chairs. "And someone's been sitting in my chair," said Baby Bear, "and look, the leg came loose!"

They tiptoed upstairs. And there, in Baby Bear's bed, was a little girl, fast asleep.

Goldilocks opened her eyes. She saw three bears looking at her… and she sat up very quickly. "Oh!" she said. "I'm so sorry. I was hungry, and tired, and I didn't ask. That wasn't right."

Mama Bear smiled. "Thank you for saying sorry," she said.

So Goldilocks helped Papa Bear mend the little chair, and Mama Bear made a fresh pot of porridge, just right for everyone. They all ate breakfast together, and Baby Bear showed Goldilocks the way home through the woods.

That night, Goldilocks lay in her own bed. Not too high. Not too low. Just right. And far away, in the house in the woods, three bears lay in their three beds, too.

Now find your own just-right spot. Your pillow is just right. Your blanket is just right. Close your eyes… just right.

Good night.

Where the story comes from

The best-known written version is The Story of the Three Bears by the English poet Robert Southey, published in 1837. In Southey's telling the visitor is a cross old woman, not a girl. Later retellers made her a little girl, and the name Goldilocks became standard in the early twentieth century.

The famous pattern of three (too hot, too cold, just right) is what keeps children listening, and why the phrase just right is still called the Goldilocks principle.

What is different in this bedtime version

In many versions Goldilocks jumps out of the window and runs away. In ours she wakes up, says sorry, helps mend Baby Bear's chair and has porridge with the bears before Baby Bear walks her home. The story ends with everyone in a bed that is just right, and the listener finding their own just-right spot.

What to talk about after the story

- What should Goldilocks have done when nobody answered the door?

- How did the bears feel when they came home? How did they feel after she said sorry?

- What is just right for you: your pillow, your blanket, your favourite toy?

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of Goldilocks and the Three Bears?

Respect other people's homes and things, and say sorry when you get it wrong. Our version also shows that an apology can turn a bad start into a friendship.

Who wrote Goldilocks and the Three Bears?

Robert Southey published The Story of the Three Bears in 1837, based on an older oral tale. The character only became Goldilocks in later retellings.

How long does Goldilocks take to read aloud?

About 4 to 5 minutes at a slow pace. In Droply Kids the narrated version is about 6 minutes, because the bears' voices take their time.

Is Goldilocks scary for toddlers?

Not in this version. The bears are friendly, nobody runs away and the story ends with breakfast together and everyone in bed.

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