The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter

These three little kittens will have you smitten! In this lively edition of The Tale of The Tale of Tom Kitten, join Rae Wilson as we venture down the lane for an energetic reading of Beatrix Potter’s classic story. Perfectly paced for a mid-day break or story time at home, this version is designed to keep listeners entertained.

While parenting styles and social norms have evolved since these fables were first told, the lessons they teach—about kindness, hard work, and honesty—remain as relevant as ever.

Looking to read along with Rae? Read along with Rae on YouTube. 

Music in this episode is created by:

"Frost Waltz (Alternate)" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

"Dancing Silly" David Renda (fesliyanstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Transcript

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Welcome to Forget Me Not a Fairy Tales. Classic stories for book lovers of all ages. Let's begin. The Tale of Tom Kitten. Written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Once upon a time, there were three little kittens. And their names were Mittens, Tom Kitten, and Moppet. They had dear little fur coats of their own. And they tumbled about the doorstep and played in the dust. But one day, their mother, Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit, expected friends to tea. So she fetched the kittens indoors to wash and dress them before the fine company arrived. First, she scrubbed their faces. This one is mopping. Then she brushed their fur. This one is mittens. Then she combed their tails and whiskers. This is Tom Kitten. Tom was very naughty and he scratched. Mrs. Tabitha dressed Moppet and Mittens in clean pinafores and tuckers. And then she took all sorts of elegant, uncomfortable clothes out of a chest of drawers in order to dress up her son Thomas. Tom Kitten was very fat and he had grown. Several buttons burst off. His mother sewed them on again. When the three kittens were ready, Mrs. Tabitha unwisely turned them out into the garden to be out of the way while she made hot butter toast. Now keep your frocks clean, children. You must walk on your hind legs. Keep away from the dirty ash pit. Anne from Sally Henny Pitty. Anne from the pig style. And the puddle ducks. Moppet and Mittens walked down the garden path unsteadily. Presently they trod upon their pinafores and fell on their noses. When they stood up, there were several green smears. Let us climb up the rockery and sit on the garden wall, said Moppet. They turned their pinaphores back to front and went up with a skip and a jump. Moppet's white tucker fell down into the road. Tom Kitten was quite unable to jump when walking upon his hind legs and trousers. He came up the rockery by degrees, breaking the ferns and shedding buttons right and left. He was all in pieces when he reached the top of the wall. Moppet and Mittens tried to pull him together. His hat fell off, and the rest of his buttons burst. While they were in difficulties, there was a pit paddle peck, and the three puddle ducks came along the hard high road, marching one behind the other and doing the goose step. They stopped and stood in a row and stared up at the kittens. They had very small eyes and looked surprised. Then the two duckbirds, Rebecca and Jemima Puddle Duck, picked up the hat and Tucker and put them on. Mittens laughed so that she fell off the wall. Moppet and Tom descended after her. The pinafores and all the rest of Tom's clothes came off on the way down. Come, Mr. Drake Puddled, said Moppet. Come and help us to dress him. Come and button up Tom. Mr. Drake Puddled advanced in a slow, sideways manner and picked up the various articles. But he put them on himself. They fitted him even worse than Tom Kitten. It's a very fine warning, said Mr. Drake Puddleduck. And he and Jemima and Rebecca Puddle Duck set off up the road, peeping steps. Then Tabitha Twitchit came down the garden and found her kittens on the wall with no clothes on. She pulled them off the wall, smacked them, and took them back to the house. My friends will arrive in a minute, and you are not fit to be seen. I am affronted, said Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit. She sent them upstairs, and I am sorry to say, she told her friends that they were in bed with the measles, which was not true. Quite the contrary, they were not in bed, not in the least. Somehow, there were very extraordinary noises overhead, which disturbed the dignity and repose of the tea party. And I think that someday I shall have to make another, larger book to tell you more about Tom Kitten. As for the puddle ducks, they went into a pond. The clothes all came off directly because there were no buttons. And Mr. Drake Puddle Duck and Jemima and Rebecca have been looking for them ever since. DN I hope you like this story. The Tale of Tom Kitten. Fairy tales contain many morals. One lesson from this story is take care of your things. If you don't treat them right and take them for granted, you will soon find yourself with nothing to show for. Thanks for listening. If you'd like a cosier version of this story, become a member.