Goldilocks and the Three Bears a personalised book with your child as the hero

Once upon a time there was a little girl with hair so golden and curly that everybody called her Goldilocks. She lived in a house at the edge of a big wood, and she was always told not to go too far among the trees.

One sunny morning a yellow butterfly fluttered past her window. Goldilocks ran outside to watch it, and the butterfly flew a little way into the wood, so she followed it. It flew a little further, and she followed it again. On and on it danced, from flower to flower and tree to tree, until Goldilocks looked round and found she had come further into the wood than she had ever been before.

Just then she saw a little cottage in a clearing, with a red door standing wide open.

"Hello?" called Goldilocks. "Is anybody home?"

Nobody answered. Goldilocks knew she should not go into somebody else's house, but she was tired and hungry after all that walking, so she tiptoed inside.

In the kitchen there was a table, and on the table were three bowls of porridge: a great big bowl, a middle-sized bowl and a little wee bowl. The porridge smelt delicious.

Goldilocks tasted the porridge in the great big bowl. "Ow! This porridge is too hot!" she said.

She tasted the porridge in the middle-sized bowl. "Brr! This porridge is too cold," she said.

Then she tasted the porridge in the little wee bowl. "Mmm. This porridge is just right," she said happily, and she ate it all up.

In the sitting room there were three chairs: a great big chair, a middle-sized chair and a little wee chair.

Goldilocks sat in the great big chair. "This chair is too hard," she said.

She sat in the middle-sized chair. "This chair is too soft," she said.

Then she sat in the little wee chair. "This chair is just right," she said. But she wriggled, and she rocked, and all of a sudden there was a loud crack, and the little wee chair broke into pieces and dropped her on the floor.

Goldilocks picked herself up and saw a little crooked staircase in the corner. She climbed up it to see what was up under the roof, and there she found a bedroom with three beds in it: a great big bed, a middle-sized bed and a little wee bed.

She lay down on the great big bed. "This bed is too hard," she said.

She lay down on the middle-sized bed. "This bed is too soft," she said.

Then she lay down on the little wee bed. "This bed is just right," she yawned. And she was so worn out that she fell fast asleep.

Now, the cottage belonged to three bears. There was a great big Father Bear, a middle-sized Mother Bear and a little wee Baby Bear. They had gone for a walk in the woods while their porridge cooled, and now they were coming home, hungry for their breakfast.

As soon as they came through the door, Father Bear looked at his bowl.

"Somebody's been eating my porridge!" he said in his great big voice.

"Somebody's been eating my porridge!" said Mother Bear in her middle-sized voice.

"Somebody's been eating my porridge," said Baby Bear in his little wee voice, "and they've eaten it all up!"

They went into the sitting room.

"Somebody's been sitting in my chair!" said Father Bear.

"Somebody's been sitting in my chair!" said Mother Bear.

"Somebody's been sitting in my chair," said Baby Bear, "and they've broken it all to pieces!"

Then they saw a trail of porridge crumbs leading up the crooked stair, and they climbed up to the bedroom.

"Somebody's been sleeping in my bed!" said Father Bear.

"Somebody's been sleeping in my bed!" said Mother Bear.

"Somebody's been sleeping in my bed," squeaked Baby Bear, "and she's still there!"

Goldilocks opened her eyes. At the foot of the little bed stood three bears, a great big one, a middle-sized one and a little wee one, all looking at her.

She wanted very much to jump out of the window and run away. But she didn't. Instead she sat up, took a deep breath and said, "I'm very sorry. I got lost, and I came into your house without asking, and I ate Baby Bear's porridge and broke his chair. That was wrong of me. Please may I help put it right?"

The three bears looked at each other. Nobody had ever said sorry to them so nicely before.

"Well," said Mother Bear, "I suppose you could help me make some more porridge."

So Goldilocks went down to the kitchen and stirred a fresh pot of porridge until it was just right for everybody. Then Father Bear found some glue and a little hammer, and Goldilocks helped him mend Baby Bear's chair, leg by leg, until it was as good as new. Only then did they all sit down together to eat.

When breakfast was finished, Baby Bear said, "I know the way through the woods. I'll take you home."

So Baby Bear walked Goldilocks back through the trees, along the little paths that only bears know, until they could see the lit window of her own house.

"Thank you," said Goldilocks. "And I'm sorry again about your chair."

Behind them, Father Bear and Mother Bear had come to the edge of the trees to wave. "Come back for porridge whenever you like," called Mother Bear, "but next time, knock first!"

And Goldilocks always did.