A kitten, a cheeky mouse, and a yellow duster! A story by Beatrix Potter, from her 1906 picture book.
🐱 The story in brief
Miss Moppet is a little kitten. A cheeky Mouse peeps out from behind the cupboard and makes fun of her.
Miss Moppet jumps too late and bumps her head! So she ties up her head in a duster and sits by the fire. The Mouse creeps closer and closer, and Miss Moppet catches him. But there is a hole in the duster, and the Mouse wriggles out and dances a jig on the cupboard!
📖 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.
Part 1
A mouse!
Beatrix Potter wrote: “This is a Pussy called Miss Moppet, she thinks she has heard a mouse!”
Beatrix Potter wrote: “This is the Mouse peeping out behind the cupboard, and making fun of Miss Moppet. He is not afraid of a kitten.”
Part 2
Bump!
Miss Moppet jumps at the Mouse. But she is too slow!
Beatrix Potter wrote: “This is Miss Moppet jumping just too late; she misses the Mouse and hits her own head.”
Beatrix Potter wrote: “She thinks it is a very hard cupboard!”
Part 3
A duster on her head
Beatrix Potter wrote: “The Mouse watches Miss Moppet from the top of the cupboard.”
Beatrix Potter wrote: “Miss Moppet ties up her head in a duster, and sits before the fire.”
Part 4
Down the bell-pull
Beatrix Potter wrote: “The Mouse thinks she is looking very ill. He comes sliding down the bell-pull.”
A bell-pull is a long cord that hangs on the wall. You pull it to ring a bell.
Part 5
Nearer and nearer
Beatrix Potter wrote: “Miss Moppet looks worse and worse. The Mouse comes a little nearer.”
Beatrix Potter wrote: “Miss Moppet holds her poor head in her paws, and looks at him through a hole in the duster. The Mouse comes very close.”
Miss Moppet was only pretending to be ill!
Part 6
Pounce!
Beatrix Potter wrote: “And then all of a sudden—Miss Moppet jumps upon the Mouse!”
Part 7
Like a ball
Beatrix Potter wrote: “And because the Mouse has teased Miss Moppet—Miss Moppet thinks she will tease the Mouse; which is not at all nice of Miss Moppet.”
Beatrix Potter wrote: “She ties him up in the duster, and tosses it about like a ball.”
Part 8
No Mouse!
Beatrix Potter wrote: “But she forgot about that hole in the duster; and when she untied it—there was no Mouse!”
Beatrix Potter wrote: “He has wriggled out and run away; and he is dancing a jig on the top of the cupboard!”
💛 Big idea
Teasing is not kind, even to get even. The Mouse teased Miss Moppet first. Then Miss Moppet teased the Mouse back, and the book says that was “not at all nice of Miss Moppet.” Teasing back only makes more teasing. What could Miss Moppet and the Mouse do instead?
🐱 Meet the characters
Miss Moppet
A little orange kitten. She chases the Mouse, bumps her head, and then thinks of a clever trick.
The Mouse
A cheeky little mouse who lives behind the cupboard. He is not afraid of a kitten, and he loves to tease!
🧶 What happened?
Miss Moppet and the Mouse played some tricks! Look at each picture, read the clue, and tap the right answer.
For grown-ups: every clue comes from Beatrix Potter's story. Tap 🔈 to hear each one.
1. What did Miss Moppet hit when she jumped too late?
2. What did Miss Moppet tie around her head?
3. How did the Mouse come down from the cupboard?
4. How did Miss Moppet peek at the Mouse?
5. What did Miss Moppet do with the duster?
6. What was the Mouse doing at the end?
Score: 0 of 6
🔤 New words
Tap 🔈 to hear a word and what it means.
cupboard
A tall box with doors and shelves, for keeping things in. The Mouse hides behind the cupboard.
duster
A soft cloth for wiping dust off things. Miss Moppet ties one around her head.
bell-pull
A long cord hanging on the wall. You pull it to ring a bell. The Mouse slides down it.
tease
To make fun of someone, or play tricks to bother them. The Mouse teases Miss Moppet.
wriggled
Twisted and wiggled your body to get out of something. The Mouse wriggled out of the duster.
jig
A quick, happy, hopping dance. The Mouse dances a jig on the top of the cupboard.
🐭 The Miss Moppet 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. What kind of animal is Miss Moppet?
2. Who was making fun of Miss Moppet?
3. Where did Miss Moppet sit with her head tied up?
4. Why did the Mouse come closer?
5. Was it nice of Miss Moppet to tease the Mouse?
6. How did the Mouse get away?
Score: 0 of 6
💬 Let's talk about it
There are no wrong answers. Talk with a grown-up or a friend.
How do you think Miss Moppet felt when the Mouse made fun of her?
Was Miss Moppet really ill? Why did she pretend?
The Mouse teased Miss Moppet, and then she teased him back. Is getting even a good idea?
How do you think the Mouse felt when he was tied up in the duster?
What could you say to a friend who is teasing you?
The first Miss Moppet book was one long strip that folded up inside a little wallet. Shops did not like it, so in 1916 it was printed as a small book like the others.
Who is it for?
It was made for very young children. It has short, simple sentences and a picture for each one.
Who drew the pictures?
Beatrix Potter wrote the words and painted the pictures herself. The pictures on this page are new ones, drawn for Jugami.