The Owl Was a Baker’s Daughter

Long ago, in a village in Gloucestershire, there was a baker’s shop that smelled of warm bread all day long. The baker’s wife made the loaves, and her daughter helped her in the shop.

One cold evening, the door opened, and in came a poor old traveler. His coat was thin, and his shoes were full of holes. “Please,” he said softly, “could you spare a little bread for a hungry man?”

The baker’s wife had a kind heart. “Of course,” she said, and she took a nice piece of dough and put it in the oven to bake for him. “Sit by the fire and warm yourself while you wait,” she told the old man.

But her daughter did not like to share. “Mother, that piece is far too big!” she whispered. When her mother turned away, the daughter opened the oven and pinched off most of the dough. She left only a tiny little lump, no bigger than a button. “That is plenty for him,” she said to herself, and she shut the oven door.

A little while later, the daughter opened the oven to see if the bread was ready. To her surprise, the tiny lump of dough had begun to grow. It grew bigger, and bigger, and bigger still, until it was the biggest loaf she had ever seen! It filled the whole oven and pushed against the door.

The daughter was so astonished that she cried out, “Hoo, hoo, hoo!” And as she cried, something strange began to happen. Her eyes grew big and round, and soft brown feathers covered her arms. Her arms became wings, and she grew smaller and smaller, until she was a little owl. With one last “Hoo!” she flew up to the rafters and out into the night.

The old traveler stood up from the fire. He thanked the baker’s wife for her kindness, and she gave him the great big loaf. Then he smiled at her, stepped out into the dark, and was gone. And every night after that, the little owl came back to sit on the bakery roof, and the baker’s wife left out warm crumbs for her.

Ever since then, people in that part of England have told this story. When they hear an owl calling “Hoo, hoo!” in the night, they say, “That is the baker’s daughter.” And they remember that when someone is hungry, it is always best to share.