Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. They grew bigger and stronger each day, and their mother knew it was time for them to build their own homes and start their own adventures. “Be careful, my little ones,” she warned. “The world is a big place, and you must build homes that will keep you safe.”
The first little pig was very playful and didn’t like to work too hard. He quickly gathered straw and built a little house. It looked cozy enough, but it wasn’t very strong. “This will do just fine!” he squealed, and went off to play in the meadow.
The second little pig was a bit more careful. He collected sticks and built a house of sticks. It took a little longer than the straw house, but he still wanted to finish quickly so he could join his brother in the meadow. “Good enough,” he said, and ran off to play.
The third little pig was the most thoughtful of all. He knew a strong house took time and effort. He decided to build his house out of bricks. He carefully carried each brick, mixed the mortar, and laid them one by one. It took many days, and his brothers often teased him for working so hard.
“Why are you working so slowly?” called the first little pig. “Come and play!” The third little pig just smiled and kept building. He knew his hard work would pay off. Finally, his brick house was finished. It was strong and sturdy, and he was very proud.
Soon after, a grumpy wolf came along. He went to the first little pig’s straw house and huffed and puffed and blew it down! The little pig ran as fast as he could to his brother’s stick house.
The wolf followed and huffed and puffed and blew down the stick house too! Both little pigs ran, terrified, to their brother’s brick house. They banged on the door, and the third little pig quickly let them in.
The wolf huffed and puffed and huffed and puffed at the brick house, but it wouldn’t budge! He tried everything he could think of, but the brick house was too strong. He was very frustrated.
The wolf decided to try and climb down the chimney, but the third little pig was prepared! He had built a pot of water over the fireplace. When the wolf came tumbling down, he landed right in the pot of water with a splash!
The wolf yelped and ran away, never to bother the three little pigs again. The first two little pigs realized that their brother was right – hard work and planning really do pay off. They helped their brother repair the damage to his garden from the wolf’s attempts to get in.
From that day on, the three little pigs lived happily together in the brick house, always helping each other and remembering the importance of planning, perseverance, and a strong friendship. They learned that working together made everything better, and even a grumpy wolf couldn’t break their bond.