A cheeky red squirrel, a sleepy owl, and lots of riddles! A story by Beatrix Potter, from her 1903 picture book.
🌰 The story in brief
Every autumn, the little squirrels sail to Owl Island to gather nuts. They ask Old Brown the owl nicely, and they bring him presents.
But one squirrel, Nutkin, is cheeky. He teases Old Brown with riddles, day after day. Can you guess the riddles? And what happens when Nutkin goes too far?
📖 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, and the yellow boxes hold Nutkin's riddles.
Part 1
A tale about a tail
Beatrix Potter wrote: “This is a Tale about a tail—a tail that belonged to a little red squirrel, and his name was Nutkin.”
Nutkin lived in a wood at the edge of a lake. He had a brother called Twinkleberry, and lots and lots of cousins.
In the middle of the lake was an island full of trees and nut bushes. On the island stood a hollow oak tree. It was the house of an owl called Old Brown.
Part 2
Off to Owl Island
One autumn, when the nuts were ripe, the little squirrels came down to the lake. They made little rafts out of twigs, and paddled across the water to Owl Island.
Beatrix Potter wrote: “Each squirrel had a little sack and a large oar, and spread out his tail for a sail.”
They brought a present for Old Brown, too: three fat mice. That is a fine dinner, if you are an owl!
Part 3
Day one: a polite bow
Twinkleberry and the other squirrels made a low bow. They asked very politely:
Beatrix Potter wrote: “Old Mr. Brown, will you favour us with permission to gather nuts upon your island?”
But Nutkin was rude and cheeky. He bobbed up and down like a little red cherry, and he sang a riddle.
Nutkin's riddle: “Riddle me, riddle me, rot-tot-tote! A little wee man, in a red red coat! A staff in his hand, and a stone in his throat…”
🌰 What is it? Tap to find out
A cherry! It is red, its stalk is the “staff,” and the hard stone is inside.
Old Brown did not answer. He shut his eyes and went to sleep. The squirrels filled their sacks with nuts and sailed home.
Part 4
Day two: a tickle and a door
The next morning, the squirrels came back with a big fat mole for Old Brown. They asked again, very politely.
But Nutkin danced up and down. He tickled Old Brown with a nettle, and sang another riddle.
Nutkin's riddle: “Hitty Pitty within the wall, Hitty Pitty without the wall; If you touch Hitty Pitty, Hitty Pitty will bite you!”
🌰 What is it? Tap to find out
A stinging nettle! It is a plant that stings, or “bites,” if you touch it. Nutkin was holding one!
Old Brown woke up. He took the mole into his house and shut the door in Nutkin's face. Soon a little curl of smoke came up from the top of his tree.
The other squirrels gathered nuts. But Nutkin just played marbles, and watched Old Brown's door.
Part 5
Days three and four: fish and beetles
On the third day, the squirrels went fishing. They brought Old Brown seven fat minnows, which are little fish. But Nutkin brought no present at all. He just ran in front, singing.
On the fourth day, they brought six fat beetles. Each one was wrapped up in a dock leaf, with a pine needle for a pin. Old Brown thought beetles were a real treat!
Nutkin sang another rude riddle. At the end he said, “I'll give you a ring!”
Beatrix Potter wrote: “Which was ridiculous of Nutkin, because he had not got any ring to give to Old Brown.”
Part 6
Day five: sticky honey
On the fifth day, the squirrels brought wild honey from a bumble bees' nest. It was so sweet and sticky that they licked their fingers!
Nutkin skipped up and down, singing, “Hum-a-bum! buzz! buzz!” Old Brown rolled his eyes. He did not like Nutkin's rude manners.
Beatrix Potter wrote: “But he ate up the honey!”
The squirrels filled their sacks. But Nutkin sat on a big flat rock and played ninepins, a bowling game, with a crab apple and green fir cones.
Part 7
Day six: an egg
The sixth day was Saturday. It was the last day. The squirrels brought a new-laid egg in a little basket, as a goodbye present.
Nutkin ran in front, laughing and shouting a riddle.
Nutkin's riddle: “Humpty Dumpty lies in the beck, With a white counterpane round his neck…”
🌰 What is it? Tap to find out
An egg! A beck is a little stream, and a counterpane is a bed cover. The white of the egg is Humpty's white cover.
Old Brown liked eggs. He opened one eye… and shut it again. But still he said nothing.
Part 8
One jump too far
Nutkin got sillier and sillier. He danced like a sunbeam. He sang riddle after riddle. He made a whirring noise, like the wind.
Then he took a running jump, right onto Old Brown's head!
Beatrix Potter wrote: “Then all at once there was a flutterment and a scufflement and a loud ‘Squeak!’”
The other squirrels ran and hid in the bushes. When they peeped out, Old Brown was sitting on his doorstep with his eyes shut, as if nothing had happened. But where was Nutkin? Old Brown had caught him!
Beatrix Potter wrote: “This looks like the end of the story; but it isn't.”
Part 9
Nutkin's short tail
Old Brown carried Nutkin into his house and held him up by the tail. But Nutkin pulled, and pulled, and pulled, as hard as he could, and he wriggled free!
He dashed up the stairs and jumped out of the attic window. Nutkin was safe. But part of his bushy tail stayed behind, and his tail has been short ever since.
Beatrix Potter wrote: “And to this day, if you meet Nutkin up a tree and ask him a riddle, he will throw sticks at you, and stamp his feet and scold, and shout—”
“Cuck-cuck-cuck-cur-r-r-cuck-k-k!”
The End.
💛 What Nutkin learned
Be polite, and know when to stop teasing. The other squirrels said please and brought presents, so Old Brown let them gather nuts. Nutkin's jokes were fun at first, but he would not stop. A joke is only funny if everyone is having fun.
🐿️ Meet the characters
Squirrel Nutkin
A little red squirrel. He loves riddles and jokes, but he does not know when to stop.
Twinkleberry
Nutkin's brother. He is polite, and he works hard to gather nuts.
Old Brown
A big, quiet owl. He lives in a hollow oak tree on Owl Island, and he likes presents.
The cousins
Nutkin has lots of squirrel cousins. They bow, say please, and bring presents every day.
🔤 New words
Tap 🔈 to hear a word and what it means.
riddle
A puzzle question with a clever answer you have to guess.
raft
A flat little boat made of sticks or logs tied together.
oar
A long pole with a flat end, used to paddle a boat.
impertinent
Rude and cheeky. Beatrix Potter says Nutkin was impertinent.
nettle
A plant with tiny hairs that sting if you touch it.
attic
A room at the very top of a house, right under the roof.
🌰 The nut 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. Where did the squirrels go to gather nuts?
2. What did the squirrels use for a sail?
3. What did Nutkin keep singing to Old Brown?
4. What present did the squirrels bring on the last day?
5. What did Old Brown do when Nutkin teased him?
6. What did Nutkin lose at the end?
Score: 0 of 6
💬 Let's talk about it
There are no wrong answers. Talk with a grown-up or a friend.
The other squirrels said please and brought presents. Nutkin teased. How do you think Old Brown felt?
When does a joke stop being funny? How can you tell?
Nutkin played games while the others gathered nuts. What might happen to him in the winter?
Do you know a riddle? Try it on a grown-up!
Why do you think Nutkin gets so cross now when someone asks him a riddle?
On September 25, 1901, Beatrix Potter sent a picture letter about the squirrels to a girl named Norah Moore. Later she made it into this book. At the front it says: “A story for Norah.”
Is Owl Island real?
Yes! It is St. Herbert's Island, in the middle of a lake called Derwentwater, in the Lake District of England. Beatrix Potter drew it while she was on summer holidays nearby.
Are there still red squirrels there?
Yes. Red squirrels are still found near Lingholm, the big house by the lake where Beatrix Potter stayed in 1901.
Did she make up the riddles?
No. They are very old riddles. Beatrix Potter says Nutkin's first one “is as old as the hills.”
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.