The Old Man and his Grandson

Story

A child shows his parents how his grandfather should be treated.

Why we chose it

The Old Man and his Grandson was one of the stories in The Story Museum’s original audio collection. These stories are particularly suitable for learning to retell.

Where it came from

The story was first written down by Jacob and William Grimm collected traditional oral stories to ensure that they did not die out. They published them in 1812 in Kinder und Hausmarchen (Children and Household Tales).

Where it went next

The Brothers Grimm were pioneering folklorists and inspired others in other countries to collect their own folk stories. The Old Man and his Grandson is not one of their better known stories.

Associated stories

Another Grimm story, An Ungrateful Son, tells the tale of a man who hides a chicken from his father because he doesn’t want to share it. When his father had gone and he goes to get the chicken he finds it has turned into a toad which jumps onto his face and sits there – forever.