Beatrix Potter Books in Order
One of the UK’s most beloved children’s authors, Beatrix Potter published her first book in 1902. Potter is well known for her quirky stories featuring sweet English garden animals, which are accompanied by her own illustrations.
This post details Beatrix Potter’s 23 children’s tales, including fan favourites Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle Duck and Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.
You can buy the complete collection as a boxset on Amazon here.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
“Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were— Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter.
Shhh, come quietly into Mr McGregor’s garden and see what you will find there.
Peter Rabbit is a very mischievous rabbit indeed and when his mother goes out for the day, he slips under the gate and straight into Mr McGregor’s vegetable patch. Peter might be a cunning little rabbit but he finds that there is more waiting for him in the garden than he bargained for.”
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
“This is a Tale about a tail—a tail that belonged to a little red squirrel, and his name was Nutkin.
Are you ready for a tall tale of tails?
Squirrel Nutkin is a naughty little squirrel with absolutely no manners at all. When all the other little squirrels go over to Owl Island to collect nuts on Old Brown Owl’s land, Squirrel Nutkin thinks making fun of Mr Owl is great fun, but he might not think so for long.”
The Tailor of Gloucester
“In the time of swords and periwigs and full-skirted coats with flowered lappets—when gentlemen wore ruffles, and gold-laced waistcoats of paduasoy and taffeta—there lived a tailor in Gloucester.
It is Christmas Eve and the mayor must have a new coat to be married on Christmas Day morning, what is a poor tailor to do?
This tailor is very poor indeed, so poor he has barely enough money to feed himself and keep warm. With his last strength he sends out his sly cat Simpkin to fetch him the last twist of pink thread he needs to finish the coat but Simpkin has his eyes on his supper. Only some kind and rather resourceful mice that live in the dresser can save the tailor from certain ruin, will they finish in time and will they keep out of the jaws of the hungry Simpkin?”
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
“…little Benjamin Bunny slid down into the road, and set off—with a hop, skip, and a jump—to call upon his relations, who lived in the wood at the back of Mr. McGregor's garden.
Do you know a naughty little rabbit called Peter? Well perhaps you do, but have you met his cousin, Benjamin Bunny?
When Benjamin Bunny goes to visit his cousin Peter Rabbit he finds Peter feeling very sorry for himself, his mother is cross with him for leaving his coat and shoes in Mr McGregor’s garden and now, to make matters worse, Mr McGregor has hung them up as a scarecrow.
Well Benjamin Bunny has seen Mr and Mrs McGregor go out for the day and he has a plan to get Peter’s clothes back but two little bunnies can easily get themselves into all sorts of trouble.”
The Tale of Two Bad Mice
“One morning Lucinda and Jane had gone out for a drive in the doll's perambulator. There was no one in the nursery, and it was very quiet. Presently there was a little scuffling, scratching noise in a corner near the fire-place, where there was a hole under the skirting-board.
Would you like to meet two bad little mice?
Tom Thumb and his wife Hunca Munca have come to the nursery to explore, when they find the doll’s house empty (the dolls have gone for a drive in their perambulator) they think there might be all sorts of exciting things to discover there.
Imagine their disappointment when they find that the ham won’t come off the plates and neither will the fish and there’s nothing at all in the chimney, not even any soot. Then Hunca Munca remembers that she needs a new feather bed, perhaps there is something useful in the doll’s house after all.”
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle
“Her print gown was tucked up, and she was wearing a large apron over her striped petticoat. Her little black nose went sniffle, sniffle, snuffle, and her eyes went twinkle, twinkle; and underneath her cap—where Lucie had yellow curls—that little person had PRICKLES!
Lucie is a very good little girl but she does have trouble keeping hold of her pocket handkerchiefs. She tries asking all the animals on the farm if they’ve seen them but then she spies a glimpse of white up on the hill.
Who should she find there but an extraordinary washer woman called Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and look what she has in her basket!”
The Tale of The Pie and the Patty-Pan
Once upon a time there was a Pussy-cat called Ribby, who invited a little dog called Duchess, to tea.
Now you might think it a strange thing for a pussy-cat to invite a dog for tea and some people might agree with you. When Duchess gets her invitation to tea to eat a very special pie, in a pink and white dish, she is very surprised, since she was about to invite Ribby for tea herself and had made a lovely pie for the occasion in just such a dish.
Then Duchess starts to worry, perhaps the pie that Ribby has made will be a mouse pie. She doesn’t like mouse pie very much at all. Then Duchess has a cunning idea, perhaps there is a way that she can make an exchange of the pies, unluckily for Duchess, things aren’t nearly as simple as she might have liked.
The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher
“Once upon a time there was a frog called Mr. Jeremy Fisher; he lived in a little damp house amongst the buttercups at the edge of a pond.
Mr Jeremy Fisher is a frog and a keen fisherman too. He has a lily-pad boat and a fine red float with a horse-hair line and he fancies he will go and catch himself some lovely minnows for his supper and then he can invite his good friends, Sir Isaac Newton and Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise (although he only eats salad).
Look out! Look out! Mr Jeremy Fisher, if you are not careful, something else will catch you for supper instead!”
The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit
“The Story of A Fierce Bad Rabbit', along with 'The Tale of Miss Moppet', was intended for very young children.
It is a simple tale of what befalls a rude little rabbit that doesn't say "please" before he takes something that belongs to someone else.”
The Story of Miss Moppet
“Once upon a time there were three little kittens, and their names were Mittens, Tom Kitten, and Moppet.
Mrs Tabitha Twitchit has three little kittens, normally she lets them play around in the dust and get their coats dirty but then one day Mrs Twitchit has friends coming for tea and the kittens must be presentable. So she dresses them nicely (no easy feat with three wriggly little kittens) and sends them out to play.
Surely three little kittens can manage to keep out of mischief for just a little while, can’t they?”
The Tale of Tom Kitten
“The Tale of Tom Kitten is set in the cottage garden Beatrix created herself at Hill Top, the farm she owned near the village of Sawrey.
Tom and his sisters look so smart in their new clothes.
When their mother sends them outside while she waits for her visitors, she couldn't possibly guess what kind of mess they are going to get themselves into!”
The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
“Listen to the story of Jemima Puddle-duck, who was annoyed because the farmer's wife would not let her hatch her own eggs.
Jemima Puddle-Duck is determined to be a good mother and hatch her own eggs so one day, she sets out from the farm wearing a shawl and bonnet to find a nice quiet place in the woods to nest.
It’s not long before Jemima happens upon a smart, sandy-whiskered, foxy gentleman who offers her a nice comfortable bed of feathers in his summer house. Jemima thinks herself very lucky but perhaps the foxy gentleman is not all he appears to be.”
The Tale of Samuel Whiskers
“Once upon a time there was an old cat, called Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit, who was an anxious parent. She used to lose her kittens continually, and whenever they were lost they were always in mischief!
Of the three little kittens, the naughtiest of all is Tom but when he finds himself in the attic, he gets more mischief than he bargained for.
The first farm that Beatrix Potter owned, Hill Top, was an old house with thick walls and many hiding places for rats and mice. In The Tale of Samuel Whiskers this farmhouse is Tom Kitten's home and the story tells what happens when Tom accidentally comes upon the rat Samuel Whiskers living in a secret hideout behind the attic walls. A careless kitten might find himself being rolled into a tasty roly-poly pudding!”
The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies
It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is "soporific."
I have never felt sleepy after eating lettuces; but then I am not a rabbit.
The Flopsy Bunnies, the children of Benjamin Bunny, most certainly are rabbits and they like eating lettuces very much, although their parents being somewhat improvident, they often have to scavenge for them. Sometimes even in McMcregor’s rubbish heap.
One day they find a whole mountain of overgrown lettuces there and eat the lot. They make all the little Flopsy Bunnies very sleepy in the midday sun. Who should this be coming down the garden though, but Mr McGregor himself!
The Tale of Ginger and Pickles
“Once upon a time there was a village shop. The name over the window was "Ginger and Pickles."
Ginger and Pickles (a terrier and a ginger cat) keep a very popular shop. They have ever so many customers, even more than Mrs Tabitha Twitchet). They like getting so many people coming into the shop but they have a small problem, their customers aren’t paying for anything at all.
When Ginger and Pickles find themselves having to eat their own shop provisions and having visits from the police then they realise they might have to re-think their business plan.”
The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse
“Once upon a time there was a wood-mouse, and her name was Mrs. Tittlemouse.
She lived in a bank under a hedge.
Mrs Tittlemouse is a very tidy little mouse indeed, she likes nothing better than to scurry around with her broom, keeping her house nice and clean and tidy.
Unfortunately, a lot of other little creatures like Mrs Tittlemouse’s cosy house too. If it’s not a swarm of sleepy, honey-covered bees then it’s Mr Jackson a damp, smelly old toad. Poor Mrs Tittlemouse, will her house ever be tidy again?”
The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes
“Once upon a time there was a little fat comfortable grey squirrel, called Timmy Tiptoes. He had a nest thatched with leaves in the top of a tall tree; and he had a little squirrel wife called Goody.
Squirrels are very anxious about burying their nuts for the winter but they’re also very forgetful. When Timmy Tiptoes has a misunderstanding with some other squirrels he finds himself pushed through a cuckoo’s hole and at the bottom of a hollow tree.
Luckily a nice chipmunk is there to help Timmy, giving him lots of nuts to eat but then when Mrs Tiptoes comes to find him, Timmy finds he’s grown too large to fit out of the hole. What will Timmy Tiptoes do now?”
The Tale of Mr. Tod
“Her print gown was tucked up, and she was wearing a large apron over her striped petticoat. Her little black nose went sniffle, sniffle, snuffle, and her eyes went twinkle, twinkle; and underneath her cap—where Lucie had yellow curls—that little person had PRICKLES!
Lucie is a very good little girl but she does have trouble keeping hold of her pocket handkerchiefs. She tries asking all the animals on the farm if they’ve seen them but then she spies a glimpse of white up on the hill.
Who should she find there but an extraordinary washer woman called Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and look what she has in her basket!”
The Tale of Pigling Bland
“Once upon a time there was an old pig called Aunt Pettitoes…
Aunt Pettitoes has lots of piglets; four little girls and four little boys to be precise but when they prove to be too much mischief she sends them off to market but little Pigling Bland finds that he can get himself into just as much trouble on the way to market as he can at home.
The Tale of Pigling Bland was published the year the Beatrix Potter was married and settled down to farming life for good. She had already been keeping pigs and she sketched them for this story, using her own farmyard as the setting. One little black pig was a household pet and features as the 'perfectly lovely' Pig-wig who runs away with Pigling Bland.”
Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes
“Beatrix Potter gathered material for a book of rhymes over many years.
In 1917, when her publisher was in financial difficulties and needed her help, she suggested that Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes could be brought out quickly, using her existing collection of rhymes and drawings.
The fact that the illustrations were painted at different times explains why the style occasionally varies.”
The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse
“Johnny Town-mouse was born in a cupboard. Timmy Willie was born in a garden. Timmy Willie was a little country mouse who went to town by mistake in a hamper.
Do you ever feel that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence? Well, so did Johnny Town-Mouse and Timmy Willie.
One was a town mouse and one was a country mouse, and when they end up in each other's worlds, they soon discover that they were much happier where they started!”
Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes
“Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes is a sequel to Beatrix Potter's first rhyme collection, Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes.
Like the previous book it contains material she had produced and collected over a period of many years.
The ‘Cecily Parsley’ sequence of illustrations was first made into a little booklet twenty-five years before final publication in 1897.”
The Tale of Little Pig Robinson
Little pig Robinson goes to market for his aunts and, after a series of unexpected and amazing adventures, including an unexpected sea voyage, settles to a pleasant life on an island in the South Seas.
Do you have a favourite Beatrix Potter book? Leave a comment and let me know!
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