The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Long ago, three billy goats wanted to go up the hillside to eat the sweet grass and grow nice and fat. All three of them had the same name, and that name was Gruff.

To get there, they had to cross a bridge over a rushing stream. Under that bridge lived a big, ugly troll, whose eyes were as round as saucers and whose nose was as long as a poker.

The littlest Billy Goat Gruff stepped onto the bridge first.

“Trip, trap! Trip, trap!” went the bridge.

“WHO’S THAT tripping across my bridge?” the troll roared.

“Oh, it’s only me, the littlest Billy Goat Gruff,” said the goat in a tiny voice. “I’m going up the hill to make myself fat.”

“Then I’ll gobble you up!” growled the troll.

“Oh, no, please don’t eat me. I’m much too small,” said the little goat. “Wait a bit for the second Billy Goat Gruff. He’s much bigger than me.”

“All right, off you go,” said the troll.

Soon the middle Billy Goat Gruff stepped onto the bridge.

“TRIP, TRAP! TRIP, TRAP!” went the bridge.

“WHO’S THAT tripping across my bridge?” came the troll’s roar.

“Oh, it’s the middle Billy Goat Gruff,” said the goat, whose voice was not so tiny. “I’m going up the hill to make myself fat.”

“Then I’ll gobble you up!” snarled the troll.

“Please don’t eat me. Wait a little for the big Billy Goat Gruff. He’s much, much bigger.”

“Very well, off you go,” said the troll.

Then along came the big Billy Goat Gruff.

“TRIP, TRAP! TRIP, TRAP! TRIP, TRAP!” went the bridge, because the biggest goat weighed so much that the planks creaked and groaned.

“WHO’S THAT tramping across my bridge?” roared the troll.

“IT’S ME! THE BIG BILLY GOAT GRUFF!” said the goat, in a great rough, gruff voice.

“Then I’ll gobble you up!” bellowed the troll.

“Come along, then!” said the big Billy Goat Gruff. “I have two sharp horns and two strong hooves, and I’m not afraid of you!”

And he charged at the troll, butted him with his horns and knocked him clean off the bridge, splash, into the stream, and the troll was swept far away downstream. Then the big Billy Goat Gruff went on up the hillside.

Up on the hill, the three billy goats ate so much grass that they grew too fat to walk home. And if the fat hasn’t worn off them, why, they’re still fat today. Snip, snap, snout, our story’s all out!

About this story

“The Three Billy Goats Gruff” is one of the best-known tales collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in Norway and translated into English by George Webbe Dasent in Popular Tales from the Norse (1859). Dasent is the one who gave the goats their famous English name.

In the original, the big goat sings a fierce little rhyme and deals the troll a much rougher end. Here he simply butts the troll into the stream, softening the violence for read-aloud use; sensitive listeners may still find the threats and fall frightening.

Read the original: Popular Tales from the Norse (Project Gutenberg)

Best for ages 3–5 — trip, trap, trip, trap! Three hungry goats, one grumpy troll and a very big splash.

The same question gets a bigger answer

The first two goats repeat the promise of a larger meal. The troll expects that waiting will always improve his chances, but the third goat is also stronger. Growing sounds prepare listeners for that change before the confrontation arrives.

Build the sound sequence

Draw three goats in order and tap softly, moderately and firmly for their footsteps. At the third goat, pause before the answer to the troll. What has changed besides the amount of food the troll imagines?

Questions to ask

• Why did the troll let the littlest goat cross the bridge?
• Can you make the “trip, trap” sound for each goat?
• How did the big Billy Goat Gruff deal with the troll?

You may also like

• The Cat on the Dovrefell — more trolls who get a big surprise
• The Unmannerly Tiger — a greedy beast outwitted
• The Husband Who Was to Mind the House — another Norwegian favorite