Jugami Storybooks

Storybooks · Grades K–2

The Tale of Benjamin Bunny

Peter Rabbit goes back to Mr. McGregor's garden, with his cousin Benjamin! A story by Beatrix Potter, from her 1904 picture book.

Two little rabbits sit on top of a brick wall. One wears a brown coat and one is wrapped in a red handkerchief. Below them is a garden with a pear tree, rows of lettuces, and a scarecrow wearing a blue jacket and a big cap.

🧅 The story in brief

Remember Peter Rabbit? He lost his jacket and shoes in Mr. McGregor's garden. Now they are on a scarecrow!

Peter's cousin, Benjamin Bunny, has a plan to get them back. But a garden can be full of surprises, and the two little rabbits need some help to get home.

📖 The story, part by part

Tap “Read it to me” to listen, or read each part with a grown-up. The green boxes show Beatrix Potter's own words.

  1. Part 1

    Off for the day

    One morning, a little rabbit sat on a bank. His name was Benjamin Bunny.

    He heard a pony coming down the road. It was pulling a little cart called a gig. Mr. McGregor was driving, and Mrs. McGregor sat next to him in her best bonnet.

    Beatrix Potter wrote: “He pricked his ears and listened to the trit-trot, trit-trot of a pony.”

  2. Part 2

    Cousin Peter

    Benjamin hopped off to the wood to visit his family. His aunt, Mrs. Rabbit, and his cousins lived there: Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter.

    Behind the big fir tree, Benjamin almost tumbled on top of Peter! Peter did not look well. He had no clothes on, just a red cotton handkerchief.

    Beatrix Potter wrote: “‘Peter,’ said little Benjamin, in a whisper, ‘who has got your clothes?’”

    Peter said, “The scarecrow in Mr. McGregor's garden.”

  3. Part 3

    Benjamin's plan

    Benjamin told Peter the good news. Mr. and Mrs. McGregor had gone out in the gig!

    They would be gone all day, he said, because Mrs. McGregor was wearing her best bonnet.

    Peter said he hoped it would rain. But then he said a walk might make him feel better. So off they went, hand in hand.

  4. Part 4

    Down the pear tree

    The cousins climbed up on top of the garden wall. From there they could see Peter's jacket and shoes on the scarecrow. The scarecrow had an old cap of Mr. McGregor's on its head, too.

    Benjamin had an idea for getting in.

    Beatrix Potter wrote: “It spoils people's clothes to squeeze under a gate; the proper way to get in is to climb down a pear-tree.”

    Peter fell down head first! But he was not hurt, because the dirt below was soft and freshly raked. It was a bed of lettuces.

  5. Part 5

    Peter's clothes

    First, they took Peter's clothes off the scarecrow. It had rained in the night. There was water in the shoes, and the jacket had shrunk a little.

    Benjamin tried on the cap, but it was too big for him.

    Then Benjamin had another idea. They could fill the handkerchief with onions, as a present for Peter's mother!

  6. Part 6

    A bundle of onions

    Benjamin felt right at home. He nibbled a lettuce leaf. He said he often came to the garden with his father, to get lettuces for Sunday dinner.

    But Peter was not having fun. He kept hearing noises. He dropped half the onions!

    The cousins walked along a path made of wooden planks, by a sunny brick wall. Some mice sat on their doorsteps, cracking cherry stones. They winked at the rabbits.

  7. Part 7

    Round the corner

    They came to a corner full of flower pots and tubs. Peter was scared of every little noise.

    Beatrix Potter wrote: “Peter heard noises worse than ever; his eyes were as big as lolly-pops!”

    Then, round the corner, the two rabbits saw… a cat!

    Quick as a wink, Benjamin hid Peter, himself, and the onions under a big basket.

    The cat sniffed the basket. Then she sat down on top of it! Maybe she liked the smell of onions. She sat, and sat, for a long, long time. It was dark under there, and the onions made the little rabbits' eyes water.

    Beatrix Potter wrote: “Perhaps she liked the smell of onions!”

  8. Part 8

    Old Mr. Bunny to the rescue

    At last, late in the afternoon, the rabbits heard a sound on the wall.

    Beatrix Potter wrote: “At length there was a pitter-patter, pitter-patter…”

    It was Benjamin's father, old Mr. Benjamin Bunny! He was looking for his son.

    Beatrix Potter wrote: “Old Mr. Bunny had no opinion whatever of cats.”

    He jumped down from the wall with a big bounce. The surprised cat dashed into the greenhouse, and old Mr. Bunny locked the door behind her.

    Then he lifted the basket. He was very cross with Benjamin, and he gave him a big telling-off! Then he took Peter and the onions, and marched them all out of the garden.

  9. Part 9

    A puzzle and a happy home

    When Mr. McGregor came home, he was puzzled. Someone had been walking all over his garden in clogs, but the footprints were so tiny!

    And how did the cat get locked inside the greenhouse, with the key turned on the outside?

    When Peter got home, his mother was not cross. She forgave him, because she was so glad he had found his shoes and jacket.

    Peter and Cotton-tail folded up the handkerchief. Mrs. Rabbit hung the onions from the kitchen ceiling, with her bunches of herbs and her rabbit-tobacco.

    The End.

💛 What the cousins learned

A good friend helps you, and a grown-up keeps you safe. Benjamin was a brave cousin. He helped Peter get his clothes back. But when the cat came, the two little rabbits were stuck. They needed a grown-up, old Mr. Bunny, to help them get home.

🐰 Meet the characters

🔤 New words

🧅 The onion quiz

How much do you remember? Tap the right answer for each question.

For grown-ups: each question has a 🔈 button so pre-readers can hear it. Works with a keyboard too (Tab to move, Enter to choose).

1. Who did Benjamin go to visit?

2. What was Peter wearing when Benjamin found him?

3. How did the cousins get into the garden this time?

4. What did they fill the handkerchief with?

5. Where did the rabbits hide from the cat?

6. Who came to help them get home?

Score: 0 of 6

💬 Let's talk about it

There are no wrong answers. Talk with a grown-up or a friend.

✏️ About Beatrix Potter and her book