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The Three Bears

A fairy tale retold from the classic story

This is one of the best-known fairy tales in English, known by countless versions. The earliest printed form appeared in the 1830s; this version comes from a nineteenth-century illustrated collection. In early tellings the intruder was sometimes an old woman, sometimes a little girl called Goldenhair or Goldilocks. The story teaches children about respecting others' belongings and the consequences of thoughtless actions, all wrapped in the satisfying repetition and rhythm young listeners love. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised.

Band
Purple · Pre-readers and first readersTypical starting range: ages 4–5
Length
short · about 344 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures
Source
The Three Bears, Anonymous
First published
see the About page in the reader
Regions
Canada · United States

Included formats

  • · Web reader and PDF
  • · EPUB for e-readers
  • · Home-print sheet
  • · Folded booklet
  • · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
  • · Worksheet
  • · Quick Check (6 questions) with answer key
  • · Read-aloud script
  • · Colouring page
  • · Teacher’s Edition (members)

Lesson at a glance

Reading
about 8 minutes at this band
Pause questions
5
Words to Know
4
Quick Check
6 questions, with the answer key
Let’s Talk
3 questions for afterwards
Worksheet
questions, an activity and a drawing prompt

About 35 minutes with one story, all of it.

Readers are engineered from the original public-domain text with AI under HummingRead’s published canon and Content Philosophy, checked by automated audit and sampled by a person. Pictures are made with AI to HummingRead’s brief for each story. How a reader is made.

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The same story

The Three Bears at other bands

Yellow band

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medium · 592 words · also in Purple, Green

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Green band

The Three Bears

Anonymous

medium · 771 words · also in Purple, Yellow

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