Once upon a time there was a family of three bears, the father, mother and their son, who lived in a small house in the middle of the forest.

One day when the soup was ready but too hot, Mama Bear suggested they go for a walk while waiting for it to cool. The three of them left, leaving the window open to let the house air out.

Meanwhile, along came a little girl who was lost in the forest. Her name was Goldilocks, because her hair was curly and blonde. She arrived near the house and, wanting to ask for help, knocked on the door. But no one answered. So she went around the house and, seeing the door open, slipped inside.

She discovered a nice room in which there were three chairs and a table. Then she smelled a good smell of soup and saw three bowls of soup on the table. A big one, a medium one and a small one. Hungry, she tried the large bowl first, but it was too hot. Then she tried the medium bowl, but the soup was too cold. Finally, she tasted the small bowl, and that one was perfect, so she finished the whole soup.

Fatigued, she wanted to sit in the big chair, but it was too big. Then she tried the second chair, but it was still too big. Then she tried the small chair and it fit her perfectly, but suddenly it broke and Goldilocks fell.

Still tired, she continued her tour of the house and arrived in the bedroom where she discovered three beds. One large, one medium and one small. She tried the big bed but it was too soft. She tried the second bed, but it was too hard. Then she tried the smallest bed and it fit her so well that she fell sound asleep.

Soon after, the bear family returned from their walk and Papa Bear said,

– Someone tasted my soup and left it

Mama Bear says in turn:

– Someone touched my soup and left it

And then little Bear said, crying:

– Someone tasted my soup and ate it!

So Papa Bear says:

– Someone sat in my chair

Mama Bear says:

– Someone sat in my chair too

And Little Bear began to cry and said:

– Someone sat on my chair and broke it!

Then they went to the bedroom and there Papa Bear said:

– Someone has been lying on my bed.

Mama Bear also says:

– Someone has been lying on my bed.

And Little Bear began to cry again, saying:

– Someone has laid down in my bed and is still sleeping there.

Then Goldilocks woke up, and seeing the three bears bent over her, she jumped out of bed and ran to the window. She jumped out and ran into the forest.

The three Bears never knew who she was. Papa Bear fixed the chair and Mama Bear made soup again because Little Bear was very sad. 

Goldilocks found her way back and never went home to strangers again.

Illustrations by Arthur Rackham, Leonard Leslie Brooke and John Batten