This A1 Beginner retelling of Three Blind Mice keeps the plot clear for learners while still giving the story some atmosphere and momentum. Three little mice live in a barn. One day, Mouse One says, 'I smell cheese!
This version is written for English-speaking learners and includes clickable word help inside the story, full story audio, and lesson notes after the reading. It is free to use on Yak Yacker and is designed to feel natural, readable, and manageable in English.
Three little mice live in a barn. They are . They cannot .
One day, Mouse One says, 'I cheese!' 'Me too!' says Mouse Two. 'Let's !' says Mouse Three. They of the barn.
They . Bump! Mouse One a box. Bump! Mouse Two hits a wall. 'Ouch! Ouch!' they cry. But they still run.
They run into the farmer's kitchen. The cheese is on the table. 'Yum!' says Mouse One. But just then, the farmer's wife comes in. 'Eek! Mice!' she says. She gets her .
'Shoo! Shoo!' she the broom. The mice . 'See how we run!' says Mouse Two. 'Run, run, run!' says Mouse Three. They run back to the barn.
They in the hay. 'Are we ?' asks Mouse One. 'Yes,' says Mouse Two. They are . They find some corn. They eat the corn. They are happy little mice.
Three little mice live in a barn. They are blind. They cannot see.
One day, the mice smell cheese. They want to find it. They run out of the barn.
They run and run. One mouse bumps into a box. Another bumps into a wall. They cry out but keep running.
They run into the farmer's kitchen. The cheese is on the table. They are excited. But the farmer's wife comes in. She sees them, screams, and grabs a broom.
She chases them with the broom, yelling 'Shoo!' The mice run fast. They shout to each other and run back to the barn.
They hide in the hay. One mouse asks if they are safe. Another says yes. They find corn, eat it, and are happy.
The story has many useful words. Here are some key ones from the mice's adventure.
- mouse (mice): a small animal
- blind: cannot see
- barn: a farm building
- cheese: yellow food made from milk
- broom: a cleaning tool
- hay: dry grass for animals
- corn: a yellow vegetable
The story uses simple verbs to show what happens. It also uses sound words to make the story lively.
- Verbs like run, say, smell, hit, come, get, wave, hide, find, eat are in the simple present, which is common for stories.
- Sound words like Bump! Ouch! Eek! Shoo! are interjections. They show surprise, pain, or fright.
The mice use many everyday phrases. You can use these, too.
- 'I smell cheese!' - to say what you smell
- 'Let's find it!' - to suggest doing something together
- 'Are we safe?' - to ask if there is no danger
- 'See how we run!' - to point out an action
Now you know the story of the three blind mice. Try reading it again and pay attention to the words and sounds.
You can tell a short story about an animal, too. Use simple verbs and maybe a sound word like 'Boom!' or 'Splash!'
Three Blind Mice comes from the English / nursery rhyme tradition and is best known as a nursery rhyme. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on Traditional nursery rhyme; public domain, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. The original audience was usually kids, but this version is adapted for A1 Beginner learners studying English. Maybe soften violence for kids.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Wikisource.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A1 English Vocabulary List. After that, try 1,200 English Phrases and Expressions for another useful next step.
