Shangul and Mangul: a Persian folk tale for toddlers, retold in English

Shangul and Mangul (شنگول و منگول) is one of the best-loved Persian bedtime folk tales: a mother goat leaves her three kids at home, a hungry wolf copies her song to trick them, and the smallest kid hides. It is told to children around ages 2–4 and, like many folk tales, exists in several versions. Azizan has a gentle Persian version that a parent or grandparent can record on video, page by page.

Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app for immigrant and diaspora families: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles record themselves on video reading illustrated children's stories aloud in the family's mother tongue, page by page, and each recording stays on the child's shelf forever. Real family voices — never AI narration. Persian (Farsi) first.

The story in short (Azizan's version)

1. A kind mother goat lives in a small warm house by the forest with three little kids: Shangul, Mangul and Habbeh-Angur ("little grape").
2. She goes out to find fresh grass and tells them not to open the door until they hear her special song: "Shangul, Mangul, open the door — it's your mother, I've brought milk and fresh grass."
3. A hungry wolf overhears the song and sings it too, but his voice is rough and the kids refuse to open the door.
4. The wolf eats honey to soften his voice and dips his paw in flour to make it white like the mother's. This time the kids are fooled.
5. The wolf puts Shangul and Mangul in a sack. Little Habbeh-Angur hides in a cold oven.
6. The mother comes home, learns what happened from Habbeh-Angur, finds the wolf and butts him with her horns. The sack opens, the kids tumble out safe, and the wolf runs away for good.
7. The family goes home together and spends the night side by side.

Why it works for young children

• A song they can join in: the repeated call is easy to learn and fun for a grandparent to sing.
• A safe kind of scary: the tension is real but the ending is warm, and Azizan's version keeps the wolf's part gentle.
• Repetition: the wolf tries three times, which gives toddlers something to predict.

Reading it aloud

Read the song in a different voice for the mother and the wolf. Slow down on the page where the kids look under the door and see a white paw — children love shouting "that's the wolf!". If a grandparent records the story in Azizan, the child can replay that voice at bedtime whenever they like.

Stories

Questions

What is the story of Shangul and Mangul about?

A mother goat leaves her three kids at home and gives them a secret song; a wolf copies the song to trick them. In the end the mother rescues her kids and the wolf runs away.

What are the kids' names in Shangul and Mangul?

In Azizan's version they are Shangul, Mangul and Habbeh-Angur (Persian for "little grape"). Different tellers use different names and details.

What age is Shangul and Mangul for?

Azizan's version is written for ages 2–4, with short pages and a gentle ending.

Where can I read Shangul and Mangul in Persian?

The full Persian text is free on azizan.app, one page per paragraph, and a family member can record themselves reading it.

Updated: 2026-10-06 · By Aida Fard