The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter c1904 Frederick Warne and Co.

Once upon a time two mice visited a very beautiful doll’s house. Tom Thumb and his wife Hunca Munca called, but no one was at home. The door was not secured, the mice entered, and discovered to their joy a plentiful feast laid out in the dining-room. There was a ham, a pudding, and other wonderful things. The ham was impossible to carve and eventually broke off the plate and rolled under the table. The meal was turning out to be very difficult to enjoy. Perhaps there are other items in the house to interest the parents of a growing mouse family. Will they make things right with Lucinda and Jane, the rightful owners and residents?

The Tale of Two Bad Mice is number 5 of Beatrix Potter’s 23 Original Peter Rabbit Stories. Frederick Warne & Co. made fresh reproductions of Beatrix Potter’s illustrations for the whole series in 2002. These books are small handheld works of art and no children’s home library is complete without a few of them. The Tale of Two Bad Mice is my favorite after the Tale of Peter Rabbit. The picture of a frustrated Tom Thumb dealing blows to the plaster foods with a mouse-sized fireplace shovel is priceless.

Illustration from “The Tale of Two Bad Mice” by Beatrix Potter

It is the incomparable and meticulously prepared art that make Beatrix Potter’s books come to life. Children who get to know these stories are getting acquainted with beauty, and quite a lot of humor!