The Tale of Peter and the Wolf

Peter is a young Russian boy who lives in a house near the forest with his grandfather. One sunny day, Peter goes to the edge of the woods, leaving the garden gate open. The duck, who lives in Peter’s yard, takes the opportunity to go to the nearby pond to swim. While there, the duck and a bird argue about whether a bird should be able to swim or fly. A neighborhood cat stalks both animals until Peter warns them. The bird flies into the tree to get away while the duck swims to the middle of the pond.

Peter’s grandfather notices that Peter has wandered into the meadow and warns him of the dangers of playing alone because a wolf might come out of the forest and attack him. Peter says he isn’t worried about the wolf. Grandfather takes Peter back home and locks the gate. Soon after, a wolf does come out of the woods. The cat climbs the tree with the bird, but the duck, who has left the pond, is chased by the wolf and is caught and swallowed.  

Watching from the window, Peter decides he needs to do something. He leaves the house, grabs a rope, and climbs the garden wall into the tree where the bird and the cat are perched. Peter asks the bird to fly around the wolf’s head to distract him. While the wolf chases the bird, Peter lowers the rope and catches the wolf by the tail. The wolf tries to get free, but Peter ties the rope to the tree, causing it to tighten as the wolf struggles. Some hunters, who have been tracking the wolf, emerge from the forest with their guns ready to shoot the wolf. Peter convinces them not to kill the animal, but instead take it to the local zoo. They parade the animal into town with Peter leading the way, followed by the hunters and the wolf, the cat, and finally grandfather, who, while proud Peter caught the wolf, is still grumbling because Peter didn’t listen to him. Even the duck is part of the parade, quacking from inside the wolf since it was swallowed alive and whole.

Cast of Characters

In Peter and the Wolf each character is portrayed by a different instrument and has a distinctive melody that they play.

Additional Resources

Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game