The Three Little Pigs a personalised book with your child as the hero

Once upon a time there were three little pigs who lived with their mother in a little house at the bottom of a lane. One morning their mother said, "You are big pigs now. It's time for you to go out into the world and build houses of your own. Build them well, and look after each other."

So the three little pigs kissed their mother goodbye and set off down the lane, each one with a bundle on his back.

Before long they met a man with a cart full of straw.

"Please, sir," said the first little pig, "may I have some of your straw to build a house?"

The man gave him a big bundle, and the first little pig set to work at once. He piled the straw up and tied it together, and by the afternoon he had a house. It was a bit lopsided, and the wind whistled through the walls, but the first little pig sat down in front of it, very pleased with himself.

"Done already!" he said. "Now I can play all day."

The other two pigs walked on until they met a man with a cart full of sticks.

"Please, sir," said the second little pig, "may I have some of your sticks to build a house?"

The man gave him a big bundle, and the second little pig rushed his house up as fast as he could. He leaned the sticks together and tied them with string, and before the roof was even straight he ran off to play.

The third little pig walked on until he met a man with a cart full of bricks.

"Please, sir," said the third little pig, "may I have some of your bricks to build a house?"

The man gave him a big load of bricks and a bucket of mortar, and the third little pig began to build. He did not hurry. He laid one brick, and spread the mortar, and laid the next brick on top, and checked that it was straight. Then he did it again. And again.

The other two pigs came dancing down the lane to watch.

"You are so slow!" they laughed. "We've finished our houses, and you've only built half a wall. Come and play with us!"

"I will play when my house is finished," said the third little pig. "A house has to be built properly."

The other two pigs laughed even louder and went dancing off down the lane.

The third little pig worked all that day and all the next. At last his house was finished, with four strong walls, a chimney, a window and a stout wooden door. He leaned against the wall with all his might, and it did not budge one little bit.

That evening a wolf came sniffing down the lane. He had a long nose, sharp ears and a very empty tummy, and when the pigs saw him, every one of them went very quiet.

The wolf stopped at the house of straw and knocked on the door.

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in!"

"No, no, not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!"

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!"

So he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew the house in. The straw flew up into the air like a flock of birds, and the first little pig ran squealing down the lane to his brother's house of sticks.

The wolf followed and knocked on the door of the house of sticks.

"Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in!"

"No, no, not by the hair of our chinny chin chins!"

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!"

So he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew the house in. The sticks clattered down in a heap, and the two little pigs ran as fast as their little legs could carry them to the house made of bricks.

"Quick, come in!" cried the third little pig. He pulled them inside and bolted the stout wooden door behind them.

The wolf came up the path and knocked on the brick house door.

"Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in!"

"No, no, not by the hair of our chinny chin chins!"

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!"

So he huffed, and he puffed. And he huffed, and he puffed. And he huffed and he puffed and he puffed and he huffed, until his face went red and then purple, and his cheeks ached and his ears drooped. But the brick house did not move. Not one brick, not one tile, not one tiny bit.

At last the wolf sat down on the path, completely out of breath.

"It's no good," he wheezed. "This house is far too well built." And he got up and walked away down the lane, grumbling to himself, and he never came back again.

Inside the brick house, the three little pigs danced round and round the kitchen.

"You were right," said the first little pig, a little ashamed. "Building properly takes longer, but it's worth it."

"Will you show us how?" asked the second little pig.

"Of course I will," said the third little pig.

So the next morning the three of them went to fetch more bricks and mortar. The third little pig showed his brothers how to lay one brick, spread the mortar, lay the next one on top and check that it was straight. It took a long time, and nobody went off to play before the work was done. But when they had finished, there were two new brick houses in the lane, one on each side of the first, with good strong walls and chimneys and stout wooden doors.

And the three little pigs lived happily in their three brick houses, side by side, for ever after.