The Story of Little Boy Blue
Quick Answer
A well-known folk tale about Little Boy Blue, who’s supposed to watch the sheep and keep them safe. When he falls asleep, trouble begins—turning the rhyme into a fuller story about responsibility, honesty, and making things right.
Why This Story Works for Bedtime
It’s familiar and gently moral: a small mistake, a wake‑up moment, and a chance to choose better next time. You can end with reassurance and a simple bedtime promise.
Story at a Glance
RECOMMENDED AGES
7-11 years
READING TIME
16 min
Story Synopsis
Little Boy Blue is trusted with a job: keep watch over the animals and be ready to sound the horn if anything goes wrong. At first, the day feels quiet and easy. The sheep graze, the sky is calm, and the work seems simple. But watching is harder than it looks when you’re tired. The boy sits down “just for a moment” and drifts off. While he sleeps, small problems grow—animals wander, mischief stirs, and the world doesn’t pause because he’s resting. When he wakes, Boy Blue realizes what happened and feels the pinch of it: he was supposed to be the one paying attention. The story expands the famous rhyme into a lesson about responsibility—not to shame a child, but to show how choices matter. What follows is Boy Blue’s attempt to fix things. He must tell the truth about why the trouble started, ask for help where he needs it, and do the patient work of putting things back in order. By the end, the tale leaves a gentle message: everyone makes mistakes, but we can own them, learn from them, and try again with a more awake heart.
Story Excerpt
Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn, The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn; Where’s the little boy that minds the sheep? He’s under the haystack, fast asleep! Once there was a kind, poor widow who lived in a little cottage by a river. The hills around her were green, and the valley was lovely. She did not have much, but she felt thankful for her home—and for her only child, a sweet boy with bright blue eyes and soft, golden curls. The boy loved his mother very much. When she went to the fields to pick up the little stalks of grain that others had missed, he liked to help her. They worked together, and they smiled together. But when the boy was eight years old, his mother became sick. She could not work for a while. Their small bit of money grew smaller and smaller. One day she held her boy close and said, with tears in her eyes, “I don’t know what we shall do for bread. I am not strong enough to work yet, and we have no money left.” The boy lifted his chin. “But I can work,” he said. “If I go to the Squire at the Hall, maybe he will give me something to do.” His mother did not want him to go. She loved having him near. But she knew they needed help, so she nodded.
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In One Glance
The Story of Little Boy Blue builds on the familiar rhyme of a boy meant to guard the sheep and blow his horn when needed. He falls asleep, trouble begins, and he wakes to the consequences of missed responsibility. The story follows his efforts to tell the truth, fix what went wrong, and learn to stay attentive. It’s a gentle moral tale about responsibility and making amends.
Frequently Asked Questions
A boy tasked with watching animals falls asleep, causing trouble, then learns to take responsibility and fix things.
No—there’s tension from the mistake, but it stays gentle and ends with learning, not fear.
Ages 6–11.
Rest is important, but so is responsibility—and when we slip, we can make it right.