''The Tale of Tom Kitten'' is a children's book, written and illustrated by

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Potter (, 28 July 186622 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as ''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'', which was he ...

. It was released by

Frederick Warne & Co Frederick Warne & Co. is a British publisher founded in 1865. It is known for children's books, particularly those of Beatrix Potter, and for its Observer's Books. Warne is an imprint of Penguin Random House, a subsidiary of German media cong ...

. in September 1907. The tale is about manners and how children react to them. Tabitha Twitchit, a cat, invites friends for tea. She washes and dresses her three kittens for the party, but within moments the kittens have soiled and lost their clothes while scampering about the garden. Tabitha is "affronted". She sends the kittens to bed, and tells her friends the kittens have the measles. Once the tea party is underway however, its "dignity and repose" are disturbed by the kittens romping overhead and leaving a bedroom in disorder.

Plot Summary

This book tells the story of three little kittens, Mittens, Tom Kitten and Moppet, who get into mischief. Their mother, Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit, grooms and dresses them up for company she is expecting, then sends them out with the admonishment that they not get dirty. They not only get dirty but lose their clothes to some passing puddle-ducks. When they return, she hides them upstairs and tells her company that they have the

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

Book connections

Tabitha Twitchit had appeared in a previously published story, ''

The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan ''The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan'' (originally, ''The Pie and the Patty-Pan'') is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, and published by Frederick Warne & Co. in October 1905. It tells of a cat called Ribby and a ...

'', in which she was a shop keeper. The illustrations included her kittens playing. The cat family re-appeared in ''

The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or, The Roly-Poly Pudding ''The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter and first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in October 1908 as ''The Roly-Poly Pudding''. In 1926, it was re-published as '' ...

''. One of the kittens featured in '' The Story of Miss Moppet'' and Tabitha Twitchit and her shop are mentioned again in '' The Tale of Ginger and Pickles''. One of the puddle-ducks from the story is featured in ''

The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck ''The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It was first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in July 1908. Potter composed the book at Hill Top, a working farm in the Lake District s ...

''.

Inspirations

The cat family home was based on Beatrix Potter's own house, Hill Top in Cumbria.''The Ultimate Peter Rabbit'', published in 2002 by Dorling Kindersley

Adaptations

An animated adaptation of the story, shown alongside ''

'', was featured on ''

The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends ''The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends'' is a British animated anthology television series based on the works of Beatrix Potter, featuring Peter Rabbit and other anthropomorphic animal characters created by Potter. 14 of Potter's stories were a ...

'' in 1993.

References

;Footnotes ;Works cited * * * * * * *

External links

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''The Tale of Tom Kitten''
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tale of Tom Kitten, The 1907 children's books Books by Beatrix Potter Books about cats Picture books by Beatrix Potter Anthropomorphic cats Frederick Warne & Co books British children's books British picture books