The Three Billy Goats Gruff

^l^V TINY TR£4^ V ^p

The Three Billy

Goats

'rn^rn Ladybird

i^^^^

m^/.dL^:

Ladybird This Ladybird retelling by

Joan Stimson

Ladybird Books

Inc.,

Published by Ladybird Books

©

Auburn, Maine 04210, U.S.A.

Ltd.,

Loughborough, Leicestershire, U.K.

LADYBIRD BOOKS LTD, 1994

LADYBIRD and

the associated pictorial device

are trademarks of Ladybird All rights

stored

means,

reserved. in

a

Books

Ltd.

Wo part of this publication may be

retrieval

system, or transmitted

in

reproduced.

any form or by any

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,

without the prior consent of the copyright

owner

"

The Three Goats Gruff

Billy

illustrated

by

CHRIS RUSSELL

14

a^^^i;^^

based on a traditional folk

tale

Once upon

a time there

were

three billy goats called Gruff. day, they set off in search of

One

some

sweet, green grass.

Very soon the goats came

to a

Across the river there was a meadow, and in the meadow grew

river.

the finest grass any of

ever seen.

^4m

them had

Now, there was over the

river,

a

wooden bridge

and under

this

bridge lived a very fierce and ugly troll.

Even" time he heard

footsteps going mp.

rrap. nip.

across the bridge, he

nap.

jumped out

and gobbled up whoever was tnine

to cross.

The

three billy goats Gruff were

ver\'

frightened of the

troll,

but

thev stiU longed to eat the sweet

sreen eras

W'pW

1

After a while the youngest

billy

goat Gruff stepped forward. "I'm tired of waiting,"

he

said. "I will

try to cross the bridge."

went the on the wooden planks. Soon he was Trip, trap, trip, trap,

little

goat's hooves

halfway across.

Suddenly, up popped the ugly troll!

"Who's

that trip-trapping

over

my bridge?" he

"It's

only me... the

roared.

littlest billy

goat Gruff," said the frightened goat in a tiny voice. "I'm going to the

meadow to

eat the green grass.'

"Then I'm coming up!" roared the

to gobble

troll.

you

"Oh, please don't gobble

me

up,"

said the youngest billy goat Gruff.

"Wait

until the

second

billy

Gruff comes along. He's fatter than

And

I

goat

much

am."

the youngest billy goat Gruff

crossed the bridge and skipped off to the

meadow

to eat the

sweet, green grass.

.^^^

X

^

'

/^/'>

Then

the second billy goat Gruff

stepped forward.

"Now

I

will try

to cross the bridge," he said. Tiip, trap, tiip, trap,

went

his

hooves on the wooden planks.

Soon he was halfway

across.

Suddenly, up popped the ugly troll!

over

"Who's

that trip-trapping

my bridge?" he

roared.

"It's

only me.

.

.

the second billy

goat Gruff," said the goat. "I'm

going to the

meadow

to eat the

green grass."

"Then I'm going up!" roared the

to gobble

you

troll.

"Oh, please don't gobble me up,' said the second billy goat Gruff. "Wait

until the third billy

goat Gruff comes along.

He's veiy big and

fat!"

And

the second billy goat Gruff

crossed the bridge and skipped off to the

meadow

sweet, green grass.

to eat the

At

last the biggest billy

goat Gruff

decided to cross the bridge. Trip, trap, trip, trap, bang, bang,

bang, bang!

the

wooden

went

his

hooves on

planks, until he

was

halfway across the bridge. Suddenly, up popped the ugly

troll!

"Who's

that trip-trapping over

bridge?" roared the "It's

my

troll.

me... the biggest billy goat

Gruff," said the goat in his loud, gruff voice. "I'm going to the

meadow to

eat the green grass."

"Then I'm coming up!" roared the

"Oh

to gobble

you

troll.

no, you're not!" bellowed the

biggest billy goat Gruff. "I'm

COMING TO GOBBLE YOU UP!"

Then

the biggest billy goat Gruff

lowered

his

mighty horns and

thundered toward the trap, trip, trap,

troll. Trip,

bang, bang,

BANG,

BANG! He butted the

air.

the ugly troll high into

yu

"/^

^A \ v..

A w

SPLASH! The

troll fell

down and

down, headfirst into the deep water.

The

river

carrying the troll

The

rushed on, far, far

away.

biggest billy goat Gruff

smiled to himself and skipped off to the

meadow

green grass.

to eat the sweet,

^i^JU.K!\

~l^^3

"x^T-^^^Lli-W^'

^.

The

ugly troll was never seen

again.

And from

one was afraid

As

that day on,

no

to cross the bridge.

for the three billy goats Gruff,

they

all

ate so

grass that they billy

much

sweet, green

grew into very

goats indeed!

fat

h

r

'

LADYBIRD TINY TREASURES Enchanting, timeless tales, simply retold and beautifully illustrated in miniature. These stories can be read and enjoyed time after time. Snow White and

The Three Little Pigs The Gingerbread Man Little

The Three

the

Seven Dwarfs

Red Riding Hood Billy

The Elves and Shoemaker

the

Beautv' and the Beast

Goats Gruff ^nd the Gol

Hansel and Gretel

Tom Thumb

T

The Ugly Duckling The Princess and the Pea Thumbelina

^r

DickWhitt;....*'^n

CO

4 ^o«.%;, 0/^-^^V^<5. ~

The

Little

Mt

INC.. Auburn. Maine 04210.

LADYBIRD BOOKS LTD.

Leicestershire. '^/l ^"S*'-

U.K.

.md the associated pictorial de\ice marks of Ladybird Books Ltd.

f

ISBN 0-7214-5413-5

Printed in Italy

M9987"05413'

v^^ti^, 'mwi^7/

5

.777.