32. THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF

Retold by Margaret H. Lippert Illustrated by Tim Hildabrandt

544 words

Every day, the three Billy Goats Gruff went out to eat grass.
They could eat the good green grass next to their home.
Then they could walk down to the water and eat grass there.
There was a bridge over the water, but they did not cross over it because a huge troll had his home under it.
Then one day there was no more good grass next to their home, and there was no more down by the water.
They wanted good grass to eat.
“If we could cross the bridge we could eat the good green grass over there,” said the big billy goat.
“I will go first,” said the brave little billy goat.
“I am light, so the troll may not hear me.”
The little billy goat walked on the bridge.
Trip, trap. Trip, Trap.
But the troll did hear him.
“I hear someone,” said the troll.
“WHO’S GOING OVER MY BRIDGE?”
“It is only I, the little Billy Goat Gruff.”
“I AM COMING TO EAT YOU UP!” said the troll.
The little billy goat thought quickly.
“Do not eat me, for I am very little,” he said.
“In a little while another billy goat will come. He is not as little as I am. He will be better to eat.”
The troll was happy to hear that, and he let the little billy goat go on over the bridge.
Then the next billy goat walked on the bridge.
Trip, trap. Trip, trap.
“WHO’S THAT GOING OVER MY BRIDGE?”
“It is only I, the next Billy Goat Gruff.”
“I AM COMING TO EAT YOU UP!” said the troll.
“Don’t eat me,” said the billy goat.
“Let me go on over the bridge. Wait for the last billy goat, who is coming in a little while. He is very big.”
So the troll let that billy goat cross the bridge, too, because he wanted to eat the big billy goat.
Now the last billy goat walked on the bridge.
TRIP, TRAP. TRIP, TRAP.
“I hear something big, said the troll.
“WHO’S THAT GOING OVER MY BRIDGE?”
“It is only I, the BIG Billy Goat Gruff.”
“At last you have come! said the troll.
“I AM GOING TO EAT YOU UP!”
“Come and eat me if you can,” laughed the big billy goat.
Suddenly a huge head with big red eyes came out from under the bridge.
“I AM COMING TO GET YOU!” said the troll.
The big billy goat looked at the troll and said, “You don’t scare me.”
Suddenly he put his head down and rushed right at the troll. He pushed the troll into the water. Then the big billy goat went on over the bridge to eat the new green grass.
“The troll will never scare us again,” he said to his family.
“Now we can cross the bridge every day. Here is all the good green grass we can eat. Now you can grow big and fat.”
From that time on, the three Billy Goats Gruff went over the bridge every day. They all did grow big and fat on the good green grass.
The troll was never heard from again.