Not Kidding Around: ‘The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids’

The seven kids of a mother goat learn the importance of trust and honesty in this tale compiled by the Brothers Grimm.

An illustration by Otto Ubbelohde for the 1909 edition of "The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids." Public Domain

As we try to uphold virtue, combatting the evil of the world can be difficult, especially when it disguises itself as good. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try to keep it out, evil deceitfully slips into our lives and greedily wrecks havoc. Nevertheless, virtue can overcome evil.

The Brothers Grimm contemplated this perpetual struggle against the evil of the world in their fairy tale “The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids.” Through this story in particular, they highlighted the superiority and importance of honesty and benevolence over greed and deceit. For, as the wolf and kids soon learn, deceit and greed fulfill one’s desires, but those desires remain empty of anything truly beneficial.

Kids at Home

One day an old mother goat needs to journey into the forest to get food. But, before she leaves, she warns her seven young kids to beware of the wolf. She tells them, “The wretch often disguises himself, but you will know him at once by his rough voice and his black feet.”