The Tale Of Peter Rabbit

Hello my darlings,

It's night time so that means it's time for a story.

Make sure you're in bed and snug as a bug in a rug,

That you've put your beautiful heads on the pillow and let's begin.

Tonight we're going to read The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter.

This was first published in 1902 which was over a hundred years ago.

Wow that's a long time.

Once upon a time there were four little rabbits and the names were Flopsy,

Mopsy,

Cottontail and Peter.

They lived with their mother in a sand bank underneath the root of a very big fir tree.

Now my dears,

Said old Mrs Rabbit one morning,

You may go into the fields or down the lane but don't go into Mr McGregor's garden.

Your father had an accident there.

He was put in a pie by Mrs McGregor.

Now run along and don't get into mischief.

I am going out.

Then old Mrs Rabbit took a basket in her umbrella and went through the wood to the bakers.

She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.

Flopsy,

Mopsy and Cottontail who were good little bunnies went down the lane to gather blackberries.

But Peter who was very naughty ran straight to Mr McGregor's garden and squeezed under the gate.

First he ate lettuces and some French beans and then he ate some radishes and then feeling rather sick he went to look for some parsley.

But round the end of the cucumber frame who should he meet but Mr McGregor.

Mr McGregor was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages but he jumped up and ran after Peter waving a rake and calling out,

Stop thief.

Peter was most dreadfully frightened.

He rushed all over the garden for he had forgotten the way back to the gate.

He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages and the other shoe amongst the potatoes.

After losing them he ran on four legs and went faster so I think he might have got away altogether if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net.

And he got caught by the large buttons on his jacket.

It was a blue jacket with brass buttons quite new.

He gave himself up for lost and shed big tears but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows who flew to him in great excitement and implored him to exert himself.

Mr McGregor came up with a sieve which he intended to pop over the top of Peter but Peter wriggled out just in time leaving his jacket behind.

Peter rushed into the tool shed and jumped into a can.

It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in if it had not had so much water in it.

Mr McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the tool shed perhaps hidden under a flower pot.

He began to turn them over carefully looking under each.

Presently Peter sneezed,

Achoo!

Mr McGregor was after him in no time and tried to put his foot upon Peter who jumped out of a window upsetting three plants.

The window was too small for Mr McGregor and he was tired of running after Peter he went back to his work.

Peter sat down to rest.

He was out of breath and trembling with fright and he had not had the least idea which way to go.

Instead he was very damp with sitting in that can.

After a time he began to wonder about going lip-de-lip not very fast and looking all around.

He found a door in a wall but it was locked and there was no room for a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath.

An old mouse was running in and out over the doorstep carrying peas and beans to her family in the wood.

Peter asked her the way to the gate but she had such a large pee in her mouth that she could not answer.

She only shook her head at him.

Peter began to cry.

Then he tried to find his way straight across across the garden but he became more and more puzzled.

Presently he came to a pond where Mr McGregor filled his watering cans.

A white cat was staring at some goldfish.

She sat very very still but now and then the tip of her tail twitched as if it was alive.

Peter thought it was best to go away without speaking to her.

He had heard about cats from his cousin little Benjamin Bunny.

He went back towards the tool shed but suddenly quite close to him he heard the noise of a ho scratch scratch scratch scratch.

Peter scutted underneath the bushes but presently as nothing happened he came out and climbed into a wheelbarrow and peeped over.

The first thing he saw was Mr McGregor hoeing onions.

His back turned towards Peter and behind him was the gate.

Peter got down very quietly off the wheelbarrow and started running as fast as he could go along a straight walk behind some black currant bushes.

Mr McGregor caught sight of him at the corner but Peter did not care.

He slipped underneath the gate and was safe at last in the wood outside the garden.

Mr McGregor hung up the little jacket and shoes for a scarecrow to frighten the blackbirds.

Peter never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home to the big fir tree.

He was so tired that he flopped down upon the nice soft sand on the floor of the rabbit hole and shut his eyes.

His mother was busy cooking.

She wondered what he had done with his clothes.

It was the second little jacket and pair of shoes Peter had lost in a fortnight.

I'm sorry to say that Peter was not very well during that evening.

His mother put him to bed and made some caramel tea and she gave a dose of it to Peter.

One tablespoon full to take at bedtime.

But Flopsy,

Mopsy and Cottontail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper.

So that's the tale of Peter Rabbit.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Now go to sleep dreaming about the rabbit scurrying through the woods having lots of adventures.

Peter's such a lively bunny.

I know he's going to have so many wonderful more tales for us.

Have a lovely sleep.

Make sure your eyes are closed.

Imagine your feet are heavy.

Relax your knees.

Relax your bum and your tummy.

Feel your tummy heavy.

As it rises and falls as you breathe.

Think about how precious that breath is.

As it goes in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Your beautiful chest is rising and falling.

Protecting your heart and your lungs.

Relax your shoulders that work so hard to carry things for you every day.

And your neck that turns around showing you all the beauty of the world.

Relax your mouth.

Have it slightly open.

Your tongue soft.

Relax your cheeks.

Imagine your eyes are very lightly closed.

Do not press them closed too hard.

Just a light flutter.

Relax your forehead.

Imagine mummy or daddy's fingers tickling around your face.

Have a wonderful sleep.

Dream of Peter.

Of fun.

Of happiness.

God bless.