Wonder Teller
Cover of The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Donkey, and the Stick in the Sack: A Gentle Retelling
Folktales & LegendsPicture bookLevel 4Ages 3–5

The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Donkey, and the Stick in the Sack: A Gentle Retelling

English · 23 pages · 871 words · 7 min read

A gentle retelling for listeners ages 3–5 of the Brothers Grimm tale in Margaret Hunt’s translation: a fibbing goat gets a tailor’s three sons driven from home, a greedy innkeeper steals the first two brothers’ magic table and gold-donkey, and the youngest brother’s stick in the sack wins them back.

Read first 4 pages
Original work by
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Translated by
Margaret Hunt
Adapted by
Wonder Teller

A look inside

The opening of The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Donkey, and the Stick in the Sack: A Gentle Retelling, free to read.

  1. Illustration from page 2 of The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Donkey, and the Stick in the Sack: A Gentle Retelling

    Long ago, a tailor had three sons and just one goat. Her milk fed them all, so the sons took turns feeding her. The eldest let her munch in a meadow until sunset.

  2. Illustration from page 3 of The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Donkey, and the Stick in the Sack: A Gentle Retelling

    “Goat, have you had enough?” he asked. The goat gave a little skip. “I have eaten so much, not a leaf more I’ll touch, meh! meh!” So he took her home to the stable.

  3. Illustration from page 4 of The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Donkey, and the Stick in the Sack: A Gentle Retelling

    “Has she eaten well?” asked the tailor. “She’s stuffed,” said his son. But the tailor went to check. “Goat, are you full?” She bleated, “How could I be full? All day I leapt about, and found no leaves, so went without, meh! meh!”

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