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The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Summary of the Story

Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and goes to Mr. McGregor's garden instead of going to pick blackberries with Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail. Mr. McGregor tries to catch Peter, but he escapes. To get home safely, Peter must run past Mr. McGregor and get to the gate. He slips safely under the gate, but he has lost his jacket and his shoes. He runs home, where his mother puts him to bed and gives him a dose of chamomile tea.

Introducing the Story

• Read the title of the book from the cover, pointing to the words as you say it. Repeat the title with your child. Tell your child that the bunny in the picture is named Peter Rabbit.
• Point to the radish Peter is eating. Tell your child that rabbits like to eat radishes and lettuce and carrots.

Reading the Story for the First Time

• Read the story. This story has too many words on each page to point to each one as you read. Give the child plenty of time to look at the pictures.
• After reading, ask: Do you think Peter will go into the garden anymore?

Reading the Book Again and Again

• Each time you read The Tale of Peter Rabbit, leave more of the "reading" or retelling to the child. Give open-ended prompts on each page. For example, ask: What is happening in this picture? Where is old Mrs. Rabbit going?
• Give prompts about objects or activities in the pictures. What is Peter wearing? (He is wearing a little blue coat.) What is old Mrs. Rabbit carrying? (She has an umbrella and a basket.) Use your finger to point to what you are asking about. Evaluate the child's response. Expand it by giving more information. Ask the child to repeat the answer. If he or she needs help in answering a question, ask that question again the next time you read the book. Good words to ask about are listed in the vocabulary section below. Be sure to talk about objects and actions the child brings up, too.
• You may wish to discuss the prompts shown below.

Building Literacy

• Look at the pictures of the gardens and the other plants in the book. Help your child name some of the fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
• Your child might use a toy rabbit to show what Peter does in the story

Prompts

Ask the child questions after the second and third readings of The Tale of Peter Rabbit , to start a conversation about the book. You can prompt the child on every page, using the questions below. If the child says something spontaneously about a picture, expand on it and ask the child to repeat it. There are questions for every one or two pages of the story.

1. What are the names of these rabbits? (The rabbits are Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, Peter, and Mrs. Rabbit.)
2. What is Mrs. Rabbit doing here? (She is buttoning Peter's little blue coat.)
3. Where is Mrs. Rabbit going? (She is going to the baker's.)
4. What is happening in this picture? (Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail are picking blackberries.)
5. What is Peter doing? (He is squeezing under the gate and getting into the garden.)
6. What is Peter eating? (He is eating radishes.)
7. What do you see here? (Mr. McGregor is chasing Peter.)
8. What does Peter lose in the garden? (He loses his shoes.)
9. What happens next? (Mr. McGregor tries to catch Peter, but Peter jumps into a watering can.)
10. What does Peter lose here? (He loses his blue jacket.)
11. Can you point to Peter? Where is he? (He is hiding in the watering can.)
12. What is Peter doing here? (Peter is crying because he is lost.)
13. What is the cat looking at? (She is looking at the fish in the pond.)
14. Can you point to the gate? How can Peter get to the gate? (He needs to get down off the wheelbarrow and run past Mr. McGregor.)
15. What is happening in this picture? (Peter is going under the gate.)
16. What is happening in this picture? (Peter is lying on the floor at home. Mrs. Rabbit is cooking.)
17. Can you point to Peter now? Where is he? (He is in bed.)
18. What are these bunnies doing? (They are eating blackberries, bread, and milk.)

Vocabulary

The words listed below come from the story and its pictures. As you page through the book, point to the pictures and ask the child to name the object or the action shown. This will help the child learn new words. You can use the words below, or you can choose words you think will interest your child. Below are words for every one or two pages of the story.

• baby rabbits, mother rabbit
• blue jacket, umbrella, basket
• blackberries, blackbirds, squeezing, gate
• radishes, garden, robin
• planting, chasing, rake
• shoe, button, net, sparrows
• sieve, watering can
• flower pots, plants
• crying, mouse
• cat, pond, fish
• wheelbarrow, hoeing, gate
• running, scarecrow
• sleeping, cooking, turnips
• cup of tea
• bowl, pitcher, spoons, eating