This is a fierce bad Rabbit; look at his savage whiskers, and his claws and his turned-up tail.
This is a nice gentle Rabbit. His mother has given him a carrot.
The bad Rabbit would like some carrot.
He doesn’t say “Please.” He takes it!
And he scratches the good Rabbit very badly.
The good Rabbit creeps away, and hides in a hole. It feels sad.
This is a man with a gun.
He sees something sitting on a bench. He thinks it is a very funny bird!
He comes creeping up behind the trees.
And then he shoots—Bang!
This is what happens—
But this is all he finds on the bench, when he rushes up with his gun.
The good Rabbit peeps out of its hole,
And it sees the bad Rabbit tearing past—without any tail or whiskers!
Credits
Beatrix Potter was a beloved British author and illustrator, best known for her charming animal tales that have delighted readers since the early 1900s. Originally published in 1906, The Tale of the Fierce Bad Rabbit was notably one of the first picture books designed in a panoramic format, created at the request of a young girl who wanted a story about a really naughty rabbit.
