Goldilocks and the Three Bears

About this story

Goldilocks and the Three Bears comes from English folklore and was first published by the poet Robert Southey in 1837, when the intruder was a rude old woman. Later tellers made her a little girl, and by the early 1900s she was usually called Goldilocks. This bedtime version keeps the famous just-right pattern and adds a next-morning apology.

Tips for telling it

• Use three voices for the bears, big, medium and tiny, and let your child guess who's next.
• Pause on each too hot, too cold so your child can shout just right.
• Act it out with three bowls, three chairs and three pillows.

Questions people ask

What is the moral of Goldilocks and the Three Bears?

Respect other people's homes and belongings and ask before you take. This version adds a second lesson: when you've done something wrong, apologise and help fix it.

Who wrote Goldilocks and the Three Bears?

It is an English folk tale first published by Robert Southey in 1837 as The Story of the Three Bears. His intruder was an old woman; she became a golden-haired girl in later versions.

What does the Goldilocks principle mean?

It means something is just right, neither too much nor too little, like the third bowl of porridge. Scientists use the same idea for the Goldilocks zone, the distance from a star where a planet could have liquid water.