Once upon a time, there were four little bunnies named Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter. They lived with their mother in a cozy burrow under a big fir tree. One morning, Mama Bunny said, "You can go to the fields or along the path, but don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden. Your father had an accident there, and Mrs. McGregor put him in a pie. Please be careful." Mama Bunny took a basket and her umbrella and went to the baker to buy a brown loaf and five currant buns. Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, who were very good little bunnies, went along the path to pick blackberries. Peter, who was very curious, ran straight into Mr. McGregor’s garden and slipped under the gate.
First, he ate a little lettuce and some beans, and then he had some radishes. He felt a bit unwell and went to look for parsley. Around a frame of cucumbers, he suddenly ran into Mr. McGregor, who was planting young cabbages. Mr. McGregor jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and shouting, "Stop, thief!" Peter was very scared. He ran all around the garden because he had forgotten the way back to the gate. He lost one shoe among the cabbages and the other among the potatoes. After losing them, he crawled on all fours and went faster, but he got tangled in a net of currants, and the big buttons on his new blue jacket got stuck. Peter thought he was lost and cried big tears, but some friendly sparrows flew over to him and chirped happily, as if to say, "Try again."
Mr. McGregor arrived with a colander to catch Peter, but Peter slipped away just in time and left his jacket behind. He ran to the tool shed and jumped into a can. It was a good place to hide, except there was a lot of water. Mr. McGregor knew Peter was in the shed. He looked under each pot very carefully. Peter tried not to move, but then he sneezed a big "Achoo!" and Mr. McGregor came right away. Peter jumped out the window, knocking over three plants. The window was too small for Mr. McGregor, and he was tired of chasing Peter, so he went back to work. Peter sat down to rest. He was out of breath, wet from the can, and he didn’t know the way home.
He walked slowly, lippity lippity, and looked around. He found a door in a wall, but it was locked, and he was too round to slip underneath. An old mouse was running in and out on the step, carrying peas and beans to her family in the woods. Pedro asked her the way to the door, but her mouth was full, so she just shook her head. Pedro began to cry, then tried to cross the garden directly, but he felt more and more confused. He came to a pond where Mr. McGregor was filling his watering cans. A white cat was watching the goldfish. She stayed very still, but the tip of her tail was moving. Pedro quietly backed away. He had heard about cats from his cousin Benjamin Bunny.
He returned to the tool shed. Suddenly, he heard the scratching of a hoe, scratch scratch scratch. Peter hid under some bushes. When nothing happened, he climbed onto a wheelbarrow to peek. He saw Mr. McGregor hoeing onions with his back turned. Beyond him was the door. Peter carefully climbed down and ran as fast as he could down a straight path behind the blackcurrant bushes. Mr. McGregor spotted him at the corner, but Peter didn’t stop. He slipped under the door and was finally safe in the woods. Mr. McGregor hung the little blue jacket and shoes to make a scarecrow for the blackbirds. Peter ran home without looking back and flopped down onto the soft sand of the burrow floor.
He closed his eyes. Mama Rabbit was cooking and wondering about his clothes. It was the second jacket and the second pair of shoes that Peter had lost in two weeks. That night, Peter didn’t feel well. Mama tucked him in, made some chamomile tea, and gave him a spoonful before bed. Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail had bread with milk and sweet blackberries for dinner. Peter learned that rules help keep us safe, and tomorrow he would try to be a wiser little bunny.
