Classic tales · for 3–4 years · 4 min read

Peter in Mr McGregor’s Garden

A cosy retelling of Beatrix Potter’s 1902 tale, in our own words and pictures. Peter has a big adventure, gets a little lost, and comes home to a hug.

Mother Rabbit in a teal spotty apron talks to her four children outside their burrow under a big fir tree, while Peter, in a yellow jacket, stands a little apart with his ear twitching.

Mother Rabbit picked up her basket. “I’m off to buy bread,” she said. “Pick blackberries in the lane. But please stay out of Mr McGregor’s garden. He doesn’t like rabbits there. It’s easy to get lost, too.”

Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail nodded. Peter’s ears twitched.

Peter in his yellow jacket sits between rows of lettuces, beans and radishes, happily munching a radish with a round full tummy.

The sisters skipped off down the lane. But Peter ran to the garden gate.

He squeezed under. Wiggle, wiggle, pop!

Crunch went the lettuces. Munch went the beans. Nibble went the radishes. Peter’s tummy grew round.

Mr McGregor stands with his hands on his hips looking cross, while Peter hops away fast and his little red shoes fall off in the cabbages and potatoes.

Round the corner stood Mr McGregor. “Hey!” he called, hands on hips. “Those are my lettuces!”

Peter hopped away fast. Off came one red shoe in the cabbages. Off came the other in the potatoes.

Peter wriggles out of his yellow jacket, which is caught on a gooseberry net, while three sparrows flutter around cheering him on.

Then Peter’s jacket caught on the gooseberry net. He pulled and pulled. He was stuck! A small tear rolled down his cheek.

“You can do it!” chirped three sparrows. “Wriggle!”

So Peter wriggled out of his jacket and ran on.

Mr McGregor peers into a watering can in the shed, puzzled, while Peter hops out through a low gap at the bottom of the shed wall.

Peter hid in a big watering can in the shed. Then his nose tickled. “Ah… ah… ah-CHOO!”

Mr McGregor came to look. But Peter hopped out of a low window, quick as a wink.

Peter giggles as a tiny mouse with puffed cheeks and a big pea in her mouth shakes her head, while a sleepy white cat sits far away by the goldfish pond.

Now Peter was lost, just as Mother had said. A tiny mouse hurried by. “Which way is the gate, please?” asked Peter. But she had a big pea in her mouth. “Mm-mm!” Peter giggled.

A sleepy white cat sat by the goldfish pond. Peter tiptoed the other way.

Outside the garden gate, Peter looks back over his shoulder at a scarecrow over the wall wearing his yellow jacket and little red shoes.

At last, there was the gate! Wiggle, wiggle, pop! Peter was out.

He looked back. His yellow jacket and red shoes were on the scarecrow! It looked very smart.

Then Peter ran all the way home.

Peter in a green spotty nightshirt holds his camomile tea in his hay bed while Mother Rabbit sits beside him in a big hug, and his sisters in coloured scarves eat blackberries nearby.

Mother saw: no jacket, no shoes! Peter was tired, and his tummy felt wobbly. Mother tucked him into bed with warm camomile tea.

“I’m sorry I went in the garden,” Peter whispered. Mother hugged him tight. “Jackets can be made again. But there is only one Peter.”

His sisters ate bread and blackberries and drank their milk. They saved some for Peter’s breakfast. Peter yawned and fell fast asleep.

the end

let’s play: hop home with peter

Name the places Peter went: the gate, the vegetables, the gooseberry net, the shed, the pond.
Which way did Peter go to get home? Through the gate!
Put cushions on the floor and hop from one to the next, like Peter finding the way.
When you reach the last cushion, you are home. Time for a cosy cuddle!

talk about it

What did Mother ask the children to do?
What did Peter lose in the garden?
Who helped Peter feel brave?
How did Peter feel when he got home?
What helps you feel better when you are tired?

for grown-ups

What this story helps with: Listening to grown-ups keeps us safe, and home is a warm place to come back to.

This story practises listening to grown-ups, naming feelings (excited, worried, brave, sorry) and the comfort of coming home. You could talk about a time your child forgot a rule, and how saying sorry and having a hug helped everyone feel better. What we changed: in the 1902 tale Mr McGregor chases Peter with a rake, and Peter has camomile tea while the others have blackberries. Here Mr McGregor is only grumpy about his lettuces, and the tea is cosy care for a tired tummy while his sisters save him blackberries.

Retold from: The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter (1902). The tale is in the public domain; our words and pictures are new, and gentler for little ones. This is an independent retelling, not affiliated with or endorsed by any publisher, studio or trade mark owner connected with the tale or its later versions.

sources we checked

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1902) | Project Gutenberg

Written and illustrated by the wishyou.today team. Every story is checked for age, kindness, safety and facts before it is published. Spotted something? Tell us on Instagram.

let’s play: hop home with peter

talk about it

for grown-ups

sources we checked

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