Three Bill Goats Gruff
Retold by J. Robert King

Three billy goats named Hans, Franz, and Brawnz lived on a tiny island with very little grass. They seemed gruff, but really, they were just very hungry.

Hans one day saw a piece of driftwood in the sea and grabbed it in his teeth. He tried to swim to the grassy mainland, but the wood sank, and Hans sank, too. He staggered, drenched and sputtering, back onto the island.

Franz said, “Good idea, but we need a whole raft.” So he and Hanz spent a week fishing out more driftwood and built a raft tied together with seaweed. They climbed on it and pushed off, but the waterlogged wood sank, and the brothers did, too. Soaked to the skin, they flopped back on the island.

Brawnz said, “That wood is too wet for a boat, but we can build a bridge.” So the three brothers worked for months to snag enough driftwood, and then labored for months more to build a rickety bridge, tied together with seaweed.

The moment it was done, though, a huge, horrid, vicious troll stomped into place on the far side. “You can’t pass over this bridge unless you pay me 10 gold apiece!” he snarled.