Big Bad Wolf facts for kids
The Big Bad Wolf is a famous villain in many classic fairy tales. He is usually a wolf who tries to trick or eat other characters. You might know him from stories like Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, and The Boy Who Cried Wolf. He is one of the most well-known bad guys in children's stories.
Contents
The Big Bad Wolf in Stories
Why Wolves Are "Bad" in Tales
Long ago, people in the Middle Ages often disliked wolves. This was because wolves would sometimes eat their farm animals, like sheep. So, in some stories, the Big Bad Wolf is just a regular wolf. He acts like a real wolf would, trying to catch food.
But sometimes, the wolf is a symbol for something else. For example, in Little Red Riding Hood, some people think the girl is a symbol for the sun. The wolf who eats her might represent winter or night. When Little Red Riding Hood escapes, it's like the sun rising again or spring returning.
Famous Wolf Tales
The Big Bad Wolf appears in many different collections of stories from around the world.
Aesop's Fables
These are very old stories, often with a moral lesson.
- "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"
- "The Dog and the Wolf"
- "The Priest and the Wolf"
- "The Wolf and the Crane"
- "The Wolf and the Lamb"
- "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Collected by the Brothers Grimm in Germany.
English Fairy Tales
Collected by Joseph Jacobs.
Musical Stories
The Big Bad Wolf also appears in musical works.
The Wolf in Modern Stories
The Big Bad Wolf isn't just in old tales. He also appears in modern books and movies. For example, in the graphic novel series Fables, the character Bigby Wolf is a detective. He lives with other fairy tale characters who have moved to the real world.
Images for kids
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A picture of the Big Bad Wolf with Little Red Riding Hood by Jessie Willcox Smith.
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An illustration by L. Leslie Brooke showing the wolf falling into a cooking pot.
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An illustration for Charles Perrault's Le Petit Chaperon Rouge from 1697.
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A 19th-century painting of Little Red Riding Hood by Fleury-François Richard.
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"The better to see you with": a woodcut by Walter Crane.
See also
In Spanish: Lobo feroz para niños
