Three Billy Goats Gruff

Three Billy Goats Gruff live on a hillside covered in lovely food. But one day, the food starts to run out. They decide to cross over to the hill on the other side of the valley.

Find out who lives under the wooden bridge. Learn what he wants. Listen to the little billy goat’s idea. Love how the medium billy Goat joins in. Laugh when the big billy goat shows just what a big billy goat can do!

This is a lovely story. We think the little billy Goat is rather clever. We love the Troll’s little song!

Download The Billy Goat Gruff mp3 fairy tale audio story now!

Three Billy Goats Gruff

A Tales of Time adaptation of the fairy tale by Peter Christen Asbjornsen.

Once upon a time, there were three goats. They all lived on the side of a rocky hill.  The hill went down and down until it came to a river with a wooden bridge. Then it went up and up again, making another hill on the other side.

The three goats all had little white beards under their chins. This was because they were all billy goats. As they were always together, they never had to call one another, so they all shared the same name – Gruff.

There was a small billy goat. He had little stumpy legs, a tiny twitching tale and a miniature mouth. His name was Gruff.

There was a medium sized billy goat. He had normal white fur, average sized ears and an ordinary pink nose. His name was Gruff.

And there was a big billy goat. He had a large body, long wavy fur and huge sharp horns. His name was Gruff.

So on this warm sunny day, on the side of a rocky hill, stood three billy goats Gruff. On most warm sunny days, the three billy goats Gruff would do nothing but wander up and down the hill eating. They loved to eat the grass and the moss, the flowers and the leaves, the weeds and the occasional bug!

But the three billy goats Gruff had done that all day yesterday, and they had done it all day the day before, and the day before that! In fact the three billy goats Gruff couldn’t remember when they hadn’t spent the whole day eating. The hill side was looking a little bare. Where there used to be grass, there were rocks. Where there used to be moss, there were rocks. Where there used to be flowers and leaves and weeds and bugs, there were rocks.

But when the three billy goats gruff looked over to the hill on the other side of the valley, they could see grass and moss and leaves and flowers and weeds. They couldn’t see any bugs – because they were too small – but that rocky hill looked a lot better than this rocky hill.

Little billy goat Gruff looked at Medium Billy goat Gruff and medium billy goat Gruff looked at big billy goat Gruff and big billy goat Gruff nodded. There, it was decided. The three billy goats Gruff would walk all the way down the hill, cross the wooden bridge and climb up the hill on the other side. There they would eat grass and moss and flowers and leaves and weeds and hopefully the occasional bug! What a brilliant way to spend this warm sunny day.

What the three little billy goats Gruff didn’t know was that under the wooden bridge, hidden in the shadows, lived a nasty, grumpyTroll!

The Troll lived all alone, hidden from view. He had a very large face, with a huge nose and enormous pointy ears. When he yawned, his mouth became so big, that you or I could easily walk right in...Not that we would of course. The troll would gobble us right up! His hands and feet were equally massive. But, in contrast, the Troll had a strangely short body. He wore layers of moss and mud instead of clothes and he carried a fishing rod on his back. The only time he ever came out of the shadows was to catch his supper.  And he was getting hungry.

The three billy goats Gruff hopped down the rocky hillside full of glee and excitement. Their little, medium and large noses could now smell their favourite smell; grass, moss, flowers, leaves and weeds – even the occasional bug!

The bells around their necks tingled and jingled as they hopped from rock to rock – racing each other to the bridge. Had their bells not been quite so close to their ears, they may have heard the sound of a large empty troll’s tummy grumbling for its supper.

Being the littlest and fittest – the little billy goat Gruff reached the bottom of the hill first. He turned round to boast at the others and stuck his tongue out – his bell swinging madly around his thin neck.

Then, with his head held high – he started to trot across the wooden bridge. There was a particularly delicious looking daisy about half way across. He loved daisies, so he scuttled over to it when...

A great big Troll covered in moss and mud appeared at the end of the bridge. The little billy goat gruff nearly lost balance as his stumpy little legs started shaking uncontrollably!

“I’m a Troll, fol-de-rol, and I’ll eat you for my supper!”

The little billy goat noticed the large mouth and took a step backwards so as not to fall in!  Not that the Troll would even notice if he did – he was so small and stumpy; not a real meal at all. Then he had an idea. He controlled his shaky legs, stood tall and said...

“Oh no, you don’t want to eat me! I’m only a little billy goat; the littlest billy goat gruff actually. If you want a real meal, wait here. For there is a bigger billy goat gruff coming along behind me!”

The Troll thought about this for a while. The billy goat was quite small and his tummy was hungry. If a bigger billy goat was going to hop along soon he would wait and not waste his time on this scrawny one. So he jumped off the bridge again to hide.

The little billy goat nearly fainted as he let his breath out.

 “Phew”

And he carried on along the bridge towards the hillside covered in delicious food.

Meanwhile, the medium- sized billy goat reached the bottom of the hill. He could see the little billy goat on the other side and he started to trot across the wooden bridge.

There was a particularly delicious looking patch of grass that he could see on the hill and started to scuttle across to it when...

A great big Troll with huge hands and feet, stinking of rotting leaves appeared on the bridge in front of him.

“I’m a Troll, fol-de-rol, and I’ll eat you for my supper!”

The medium billy goat noticed the long drool dripping down from his enormous lips and he stepped backwards in fear. How did the littlest billy goat gruff get across safely? He is so much smaller and weaker. Surely the troll would have eaten him up, unless...

“Oh no, you don’t want to eat me!” He said. “I’m only a medium billy goat; a very average billy goat gruff actually. If you want a real meal, wait here. For there is an even bigger billy goat Gruff coming along behind me!”

The T roll thought about this for a while. This billy goat was quite average and his tummy was hungry. If an even bigger billy goat was going to hop along soon he would wait and not waste his time on this normal one. So he jumped off the bridge again to hide.

The medium- sized billy goat nearly collapsed as he let his breath out.

 “Phew”

And he carried on along the bridge to join the little billy goat Gruff on the hill side covered in delicious food.

Finally, the big billy goat Gruff reached the bottom of the hill. He could see the little billy goat Gruff and the medium billy goat Gruff on the other side and he started to trot across the wooden bridge.

He really was a big billy goat Gruff – and would make a fine meal for the troll. His hooves clattered on the wood. His weight made the bridge squeak and rock as he made his way across it slowly when...

A great big T  roll with an enormous belly and pointy ears appeared on the bridge in front of him.

“I’m a Troll, fol-de-rol, and I’ll eat you for my supper!”

The big billy goat noticed that his huge hands were ready to fight and his thick green tongue was licking the drool off his lips and he stepped backwards in fear.

How did the littlest billy goat Gruff and the medium billy goat Gruff get across safely? They are so much smaller and weaker. Surely the Troll would have eaten them up, unless...He let them go because he wanted the biggest, juiciest billy goat Gruff instead.

Well, the biggest billy goat Gruff decided to show the greedy Troll just what a big billy goat Gruff was made of. He lowered his head, keeping his eyes on the Troll. He stamped his hoofs onto the bridge one, two, three times and then........CHARGE!

The big billy goat Gruff bumped the troll so hard that he went flying into the air and then came crashing down into the river.

The big billy goat Gruff carried on along the bridge to join the little billy goat Gruff and medium-sized billy goat Gruff on the hill side covered in delicious food.

So on this warm sunny day, on the side of another rocky hill, stood three billy goats Gruff. The big billy Goat Gruff and the medium-sized billy goat Gruff and the little billy goat Gruff spent the whole day eating grass and moss, flowers and leaves, weeds and the occasional bug.

The three billy goats Gruff would do that all day tomorrow, and all day the next day, and the day after that! In fact the three billy goats Gruff would eat quite happily there until the hillside would start to look a little bare.

Then the  three billy goats Gruff would then look back to the hill on the other side of the valley.

Where there used to be rocks, there would be grass. Where there used to be rocks, there would be moss. Where there used to be rocks, there would be flowers and leaves and weeds.

They wouldn’t see any bugs – because they’d be too small – but their old rocky hill would look a lot better than this rocky hill.

They would never be afraid of crossing the wooden bridge, as the Troll would have learned his lesson.

He would dart into the shadows whenever he saw them coming and he’d wait there till they were gone.

 They would cross to the other side where they would eat grass and moss and flowers and leaves and weeds and hopefully the occasional bug!

What a brilliant way to spend this warm sunny day!

The End.

©Tales of Time 2009