The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids

The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids - What's clattering and rattling around in my tummy?

Once upon a time there was a nanny goat who had seven kids. One day she wanted to go into the forest to get some food. She called her seven kids together and said "Take care not to let anyone in while I'm away. Be on guard against the wolf. If he comes in he will gobble you all up. You will know it is the wolf from his rough voice and his black feet."

No sooner had the nanny goat gone when the wicked wolf came and knocked on the door. The seven kids knew it was him from his rough voice and his black paws. So the wolf ate a piece of chalk in order to get a soft voice. But when he knocked on the door again, the kids still knew it was him from his black paws and did not let him in. On the third attempt the wolf covered his paws in flower and knocked again on the door. "Open up! Your dear little mother has come home and brought something for you", he said with a soft voice. This time the kids were fooled and opened the door. When they saw the wolf they were terrified and hid themselves. The wicked wolf found six of them and gobbled them up. The seventh kid had hidden himself in the grandfather clock and remained alive.

The nanny goat came home, found the last kid in the clock and let him out. The kid told her what had happened. When the nanny goat saw that the wolf was still asleep on the meadow in front of the house, she took a pair of scissors and quickly cut his tummy open. All six kids were still alive and jumped out. The nanny goat filled the wolf's tummy with rocks and sewed it up again.

When the wicked wolf woke up and was thirsty he ran to a spring. The rocks in his tummy hit against each other and the wolf shouted "What's clattering and rattling around in my tummy?" He leaned over the spring, lost his balance and, due to the weight of the rocks, he fell head over heels into it. The seven kids and their mother danced round the spring for joy.