Knjigice
Fairy tale · Animal stories
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
How a naughty little rabbit slipped into Mr. McGregor's garden
Also in: Zgodba o Petru Zajčku (Slovenian) · Rozprávka o zajkovi Petrovi (Slovak)
Behind a great old fir tree, under its thick roots, a rabbit family lived in a soft sandy burrow: a mother rabbit and her four little ones. Their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail and Peter. Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail were good little bunnies. But Peter — Peter was the most curious of them all, and just a little too naughty.
1
One morning their mother said: "Children, run along to the field or down the lane, only don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden! Your father ended up in a pie there." Then she took her basket and umbrella and went past the wood to the baker's for a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns. "Be good," she called over her shoulder.
2
Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail were good little sisters: they hopped away down the lane to gather ripe blackberries. But Peter was naughty. He ran straight to Mr. McGregor's garden and — pop! — squeezed under the gate. He only just fit through, so narrow was the gap beneath it.
3
The garden held everything a hungry bunny dreams of! First Peter crunched some lettuce, then a few French beans, and last of all some radishes. He munched and munched, until all of it together gave him a tummy-ache. "Oh dear," he sighed, "what I could do with now is a nice bunch of parsley."
4
But look — behind the cucumber beds knelt Mr. McGregor, planting out cabbages! When he saw Peter he leapt to his feet and ran after him, waving his rake: "Stop, thief!" Peter was dreadfully frightened and dashed this way and that all over the garden — he had quite forgotten where the gate was.
5
He ran between the beds so fast the dust flew behind him. Among the cabbages one little shoe slipped off his foot, and among the potatoes the other. On four paws he ran faster and faster — and he might even have got away, had he not run straight into a net stretched over the gooseberry bush.
6
He was caught in the net by the large brass buttons of his brand-new blue jacket. He had already given up, shedding big tears — but some friendly sparrows flew to him and chirped: "Try harder, try harder!" Peter wriggled and tugged, slipped right out of his jacket and ran on — without it, in nothing but his own brown fur.
7
He leapt into the tool-shed and hid in a watering can. It would have made a splendid hiding place, had it not been half full of water. Mr. McGregor rummaged all round the shed. Then Peter's nose began to tickle — "Ker-choo!" In a moment McGregor was upon him, but Peter jumped out of the window, knocked over three flowerpots and fled.
8
Peter was soaked through and shivering with cold. He sat down to catch his breath, but he only panted and sneezed with fright. Where was the gate? He could not see it anywhere. A white cat was strolling about the garden, and he dared not go near her. But on a spade sat a robin, watching him curiously — as if to say: "Courage, little rabbit!"
9
Then, from behind a bush, he spotted Mr. McGregor hoeing onions — and there beyond him: the gate! Peter ran as fast as his paws would carry him, past the blackcurrant bushes, straight across the beds. Mr. McGregor swiped and very nearly caught him, but Peter slipped under the gate and was outside. Safe!
10
Mr. McGregor picked up the little shoes and the jacket, hung them on a cross of sticks and set them up as a scarecrow to frighten the birds. Peter, meanwhile, ran and ran through the wood until he reached the great old fir tree. He was so tired that he simply flopped down on the soft floor of the home burrow and closed his eyes.
11
"Peter, where are your clothes?" said his mother, shaking her head. It was the second little jacket he had lost in a fortnight! Peter's tummy still ached that evening, so his mother made him camomile tea: one big spoonful at bedtime. But Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and sweet blackberries for supper.
12The End
