Once upon a time, there was a curious and adventurous child named James. James loved going on walks, especially in the forest, where he dreamed about his favorite thing: sleep! One day, while exploring a grassy clearing, James was watching a trail of ants. He was so busy watching them that he didn't notice the voices coming from the trees.
"What's that?" James wondered. He was shy, but he really wanted to know what was going on. So, he tiptoed closer, trying to hide behind the tall grass.
"Peek-a-boo!" three little voices shouted. James peeked over the grass and gasped! There were three tiny piglets, each one funnier than the last! One piglet had a curly tail that always seemed to be getting tangled. Another one had spots all over her face, like a little ladybug. The third one had a long, floppy ear that drooped over her eye.
"Hello!" the little piglets said, giggling. "Do you live in a house?"
James was confused. "Of course I live in a house!" he said. "I live in a big house with my family in Philadelphia! It's really cozy."
The youngest piglet, the one with the floppy ear, looked at her sisters. "We left our mother's house because we grew up!" she explained. "Mom told us to build houses because the forest is dangerous. There's a wolf who likes to eat piglets!"
James's eyes got wide. He was only four years old, but he knew a wolf could be scary! "I can help!" he said. "I can help you build houses!"
The piglets were so excited. "We're each going to build our own house!" the piglet with the curly tail said. "I'm going to use straw! It's so fast! I don't even need a door or a window. I want to go play!"
James shook his head. "Let's help each other!" he said. "We can all play together after! I love playing with my superpower. I can be invisible!"
The other piglet, the one with the spots, ran off to the woods. "I'm using wood!" she called back. "I'll build a cabin with a roof and doors and windows. But I see my sister playing. I don't want to put in too many nails!"
James and the third piglet started working on her house. "I want to build a house like my mother's," she said. "With bricks and cement and glass windows! And a strong roof!"
They worked hard, sweating under the hot sun. It took a long time, but James and the piglet kept laughing and joking. They could see the other two piglets playing in the distance, and they were so happy to be helping their new friends.
Finally, the third piglet's house was finished. "It's beautiful!" James said. "Let's have a snack in your new house!"
The piglet was so happy to have a house and a new friend. "We can cook something on the wood stove!" she said.
That night, as the sun began to set, a big, bad wolf appeared! The piglets and James were scared! The wolf went straight for the straw house. "Huff! Puff!" he yelled. With one strong blow, the house crumbled to pieces! The little piglet who lived there ran through the dark forest, with the wolf right behind her.
"Oh no!" James cried. "We can go to my hiding place! It's in the library! It's safe!"
The hungry wolf, who didn't want to waste time, went to the wooden cabin. "Huff! Puff!" he blew again. This time, it took two strong blows, and the cabin fell apart. The second piglet ran and found her sister hiding in the forest.
The wolf, now very irritated, went to the brick house. He could smell delicious food coming from the chimney. "Huff! Puff! Huff!" he blew, but nothing happened! The house wouldn't fall down! He decided to go down the chimney! It seemed like a good idea! But when he started to descend, he felt something burning! His tail was on fire!
This time, the wolf was scared! He ran away as fast as he could, leaving a trail of smoke behind him.
The two hiding piglets laughed when they saw the wolf running away. They ran back to their sister's house, where James was waiting for them.
"I'm so glad you're safe!" James said.
The three piglets hugged each other and then hugged James. They all sat down at the table and had a delicious soup. It felt good to be safe inside a warm house, with friends and family.
And so, James and the three little piglets enjoyed that night, realizing that sometimes, good things take time!
