The Story of Miss Moppet

This is pure, distilled Beatrix Potter: a small kitten, a cheeky mouse, and the timeless comedy of what happens when predator becomes prey becomes predator again. Miss Moppet hears a rustle behind the cupboard, spots a mouse, and launches herself into pursuit, only to crack her head smartly on the wood. Wrapping a duster around her wounded head, she sinks before the fire looking thoroughly sorry for herself. But when the curious mouse creeps close, thinking her ill, she catches him neatly. Then comes the twist that makes small children giggle: she ties him in the duster and tosses him about - until he escapes through a hole and dances a triumphant jig atop the cupboard. The original 1906 panorama format flopped with booksellers, but republished as a small book in 1916, it became a beloved first taste of Potter's world for generations of youngest readers. It's slight, yes. But for children just discovering what books can do, it's perfect.