Showing results by author "Beatrix Potter" in All Categories

Classic short stories featuring favourites from the animal world.

Stop a moment in the delightful world of Beatrix Potter and her animal friends.

Enter the magical animal world through the imaginations of Beatrix Potter, Rudyard Kipling and E. Nesbit, beautifully retold by Nicki White and Matt Stewart.

Written by Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Peter Rabbit is a beloved children's classic that follows mischievous, young Peter on an adventure through Mr. McGregor's garden while he thwarts danger and tries to find his way back home.

The story is about an impertinent red squirrel named Nutkin and his narrow escape from an owl called Old Brown. The title followed Potter's hugely successful The Tale of Peter Rabbit and was an instant hit. One commentator has likened Squirrel Nutkin's impertinent behaviour to that of the rebellious working class of Potter's own day, and another commentator has noted the tale's similarities to pourquoi tales and folk tales in its explanations of Squirrel Nutkin's short tail and characteristics of squirrel behaviour.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit is a British children's book written by Beatrix Potter that follows mischievous and disobedient young Peter Rabbit as he is chased about the garden of Mr. McGregor. He escapes and returns home to his mother, who puts him to bed after dosing him with tea. The tale was written for five-year-old Noel Moore, son of Potter's former governess Annie Carter Moore, in 1893. It was revised and privately printed by Potter in 1901 after several publishers' rejections, but was printed in a trade edition by Frederick Warne & Co. in 1902. The book was a success, and multiple reprints were issued in the years immediately following its debut. It has been translated into 36 languages, and, with 45 million copies sold, it is one of the best-selling books of all time.

This selection of stories and tales is perfect for that cold winter night to cosy up around fireplace and enter magical world of far away lands or kingdoms of the past. This volume opens with two tales from Beatrix Potter: 'The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse' and 'The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin', followed by 'Puss in Boots' by Charles Perrault. And in the second half we have Anton Chekhov's story, 'A Gentleman Friend', followed by William Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night'. Read in English, unabridged.

"The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse" is an adaptation of the Aesop fable "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" by Beatrix Potter. In it, a country mouse named Timmy accidentally ends up in the house of Johnny, a town mouse. After experiencing all that the town has to offer, Timmy decides he prefers his quiet life in the country. But how will country life suit Johnny when he comes to visit?

Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes includes well-known nursery rhymes such as "Goosey Goosey Gander", "This Little Piggy", and "Three Blind Mice", rewritten to refer to Beatrix Potter's own recurring characters. Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes has delighted children and adults alike since its release in 1922.

In "The Tale of Mr. Tod", the Flopsy Bunnies have been kidnapped by Tommy Brock the Badger and removed to a house owned by Mr. Tod, a fox and Tommy's archenemy. Benjamin Bunny and his cousin Peter Rabbit set out to rescue them, but when Mr. Tod arrives home to find Tommy asleep in his bed, a fight ensues. Will the Flopsy bunnies be rescued?

In "The Story of Miss Moppet", a kitten who is teased by a mouse bumps her head on a cupboard. The kitten feigns illness by sitting by the fire and wrapping her head in a duster. Will this ruse be enough to lure the curious mouse?

In "The Tale of Ginger and Pickles", a yellow tomcat and a terrier are shopkeepers in a small village. Though the mice customers make Ginger the cat's mouth water and Pickles the dog finds his rabbit shoppers faintly enticing, the two control their impulses and even extend credit to their customers. But how long can this combination last?

In "The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes", a squirrel, Timmy, and his wife, Goody, are collecting nuts for the winter. But when a passing flock of birds suspect Timmy of raiding the birds' stores, they stuff him through a hole in a tree. Will Timmy escape? What will Goody do?

In "The Tale of Tom Kitten", three cats must wash and dress for tea. However, when their mother is grooming him, young Tom Kitten is very naughty and scratches her! How will his mother punish Tom for being so naughty?

In "The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse", a woodmouse finds it a challenge to keep a tidy house under a hedge that is visited by an assortment of insects. In this story, a beetle leaves dirty footprints and a spider leaves cobwebs in his wake after visits to Mrs. Tittlemouse's underground tunnel-house.

In "The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher", a frog who lives in a slippy-sloppy house alongside a pond collects worms on a rainy day, and sets off on a lily-pad boat to go fishing. During this trip, he encounters all sorts of obstacles, including a large trout who tries to devour him.

In the Tale of Benjamin Bunny, Benjamin and his cousin Peter Rabbit venture into Mr. McGregor's garden to retrieve the clothes Peter lost there in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. After finding Peter's clothes, Peter is anxious to leave, remembering his recent experiences there. But will his cousin Benjamin follow?

When the Tailor of Gloucester sends his cat to buy some food and a twist of silk for a waistcoat, he discovers a secret - the cat has imprisoned mice under some teacups. After the tailor releases the mice, the cat hides the twist of silk in anger. But how can the tailor finish the waistcoat now?

In "The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit," a bad rabbit steals a carrot from a good rabbit and scratches him in the process. When a hunter mistakes the bad rabbit for a bird, the bad rabbit inadvertently receives his just desserts.

In "The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan", Ribby, a cat, invites a little dog called Duchess to tea. Duchess accepts the invitation but is anxious that she will be served mouse. When Duchess switches pies in Ribby's oven before tea, confusion ensues.