Welcome to a fun story time! Today, we’re going to hear about a curious little bunny named Peter Rabbit. This story is called “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” and it was written and drawn by a lady named Beatrix Potter.
Once upon a time, there were four little rabbits. Their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their mommy under a big tree.
One morning, their mommy said, “You can play in the fields or down the lane, but don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden. Your daddy had an accident there.” Then she went out with her basket and umbrella to buy some bread and buns.
Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail were good bunnies and went to pick blackberries. But Peter was very curious and went to Mr. McGregor’s garden! He ate lots of yummy veggies like lettuce and radishes.
Peter met Mr. McGregor, who chased him around the garden! Peter was so scared that he lost his shoes and his new blue jacket. He got caught in a net but managed to escape, leaving his jacket behind.
Peter was tired and didn’t know how to get home. He asked a mouse for help, but she couldn’t talk because her mouth was full of peas. Peter was very sad and cried.
Finally, Peter found a way out of the garden and ran home as fast as he could. Mr. McGregor used Peter’s jacket and shoes to scare away birds. Peter was so tired when he got home that he fell asleep right away.
Peter’s mommy gave him some chamomile tea to help him feel better. Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had a yummy supper of bread, milk, and blackberries.
Thank you for joining us for this story about Peter Rabbit. It’s a very old story, but it’s still lots of fun! Remember, there are many wonderful books out there, so keep reading and find your favorite!
Thanks for listening, and happy reading!
Garden Adventure: Create a small pretend garden using toy vegetables or drawings of vegetables. Ask the children to pretend to be Peter Rabbit and explore the garden. Encourage them to think about what Peter might have felt when he was in Mr. McGregor’s garden. Discuss why Peter was curious and what he learned from his adventure.
Story Sequencing: Print out or draw pictures of key events from the story, such as Peter entering the garden, meeting Mr. McGregor, and finding his way home. Mix them up and ask the children to put them in the correct order. This will help them understand the sequence of events and improve their storytelling skills.
Curiosity and Safety Discussion: Have a conversation with the children about curiosity and safety. Ask them questions like, “Why do you think Peter was curious about the garden?” and “What should we do if we are curious about something but it might not be safe?” Encourage them to share their thoughts and relate it to their own experiences.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hello! Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. I’m Rose Byrne, and today I’m going to be reading “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter.
Once upon a time, there were four little rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their mother in a sandbank, underneath the root of a very big fir tree.
“Now, my dears,” said the 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.”
“Now run along, and don’t get into mischief. I am going out.” Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, and went through the wood to the baker’s. She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.
Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, who were good little bunnies, went down the lane to gather blackberries. But Peter, who was very curious, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor’s garden and squeezed under the gate!
First, he ate some lettuces, then some French beans, and then he ate some radishes. Feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley. But around the end of a cucumber frame, whom 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 very frightened. He rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate. He lost one of his shoes amongst 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 gotten away altogether if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with brass buttons; it was quite new.
Peter 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 on top of Peter. But Peter wriggled out just in time, leaving his jacket behind him, and rushed into the tool-shed, jumping into a can. It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in if it hadn’t had so much water in it.
Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the tool-shed, perhaps hidden underneath a flower pot. He began to turn them over carefully, looking under each. Presently, Peter sneezed. “Kertyschoo!” 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 the least idea which way to go. Also, he was very damp from sitting in that can. After a time, he began to wander about, going lippity—lippity—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 little rabbit to squeeze underneath.
An old mouse was running in and out over the stone 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 pea 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 the garden, but he became more and more puzzled. Presently, he came to a pond where Mr. McGregor filled his water cans. A white cat was staring at some goldfish. She sat very still, but now and then the tip of her tail twitched as if it were alive. Peter thought it 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 hoe. Scr-r-ritch, scratch, scratch, scritch. Peter scuttered underneath the bushes. But presently, as nothing happened, he came out and climbed upon a wheelbarrow and peeped over. The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions. His back was turned towards Peter, and beyond 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 blackcurrant bushes. Mr. McGregor caught sight of him in 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 the shoes for a scarecrow to frighten the blackbirds. Peter never stopped running or looked behind him until 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 that Peter had lost in a fortnight!
I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed and made some chamomile tea. And she gave a dose of it to Peter! “One tablespoonful to be taken at bedtime.” But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper.
The End.
Thank you so much for joining me in reading “Peter Rabbit.” It’s one of my favorite books from my childhood. Did you know that this book is over 100 years old? I chose it because my mother used to read it to me. If you can’t find a book that you really love, keep looking because there are so many out there. I promise you that you will find one that you love.
Thank you for watching Storyline Online. Make sure to check out all of our stories. And keep watching and keep reading.
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This version removes any potentially sensitive or inappropriate content while preserving the essence of the story.
