Beatrix Potter, the Tales of, Part 1

£12.99

The Tales of Beatrix Potter Part 1. These plays are simple adaptations/conversation pieces based on Beatrix Potter’s tales.

Description

The Tales of Beatrix Potter

FREE Beatrix Potter Quiz

  • on the first five tales (20 questions and answers to each)

and

  • on the life of the famous author (66 questions and answers)

A total of 166 questions and answers!

Part I: 5 plays including:

    • The Tales of
    • Peter Rabbit
    • Squirrel Nutkin
    • Benjamin Bunny
    • The Two Bad Mice

and

    • The Tailor of Gloucester

Also:

FREE Beatrix Potter Quiz

  • on the first five tales (20 questions and answers to each)

and

  • on the life of the famous author (66 questions and answers)

A total of 166 questions and answers!

Tale 1: The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Cast of 6

Peter Rabbit
Triplet sisters:
Flopsy
Mopsy
Cottontail
Mother Rabbit
Mr. McGregor

A bowlful of chamomile soup – as punishment for trespass? No wonder so many of these furry creatures of the animal kingdom think they can get away with anything.

Or can they? Time those rabbits had a taste of real discipline!

Sample Text:

Mr. McGregor:   Yes, indeed. Up to his old tricks again – or heading that way!

(To Mother Rabbit) Have you no control over him?

Mother Rabbit:  (Indignantly) I can assure you he will receive the severest punishment!

Mr. McGregor:   You mean, chamomile tea for supper?

Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail:     (Gasping in horror) Oh no! Not that!

Mr. McGregor:   (Shaking his head) And you think that is going to put him straight?

(Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail all nod their heads)

Mr. McGregor:   (To Mother Rabbit) Seriously?

(Mother Rabbit dips her head in embarrassment)

Mr. McGregor:   Strikes me we need to take a slightly different route. One which will teach the young fella a lesson but will be useful to him at the same time, keeping him out of mischief.

Tale 2: The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin

Cast of 6

Squirrel Nutkin
Twinkleberry (brother)
Cousin 1, 2 and 3
Mr. Brown (the owl)

How much more irritating can one squirrel be? This one, going by the name of Nutkin, has annoying ways in spades. Definitely time he was taught a lesson! (Are we getting a bit of a pattern, here?)

Sample Text:

Squirrel Nutkin: (Repeating) Each day? You mean I have to work for you as long as you say so?

Mr. Brown:         Aha! You’re cleverer than you look! Good to see you catching on so quickly. Correct!

Squirrel Nutkin: (Spluttering) But, but I have a life! You can’t take that away from me?

Mr. Brown:         Watch me! You will have no life until you work out what you have done wrong.

Twinkleberry:     Sounds fair to me.

Squirrel Nutkin: (Exploding) What?

Cousin 1:             You only have yourself to blame for this.

Cousin 2:             You brought this on yourself

Cousin 3:             And only you can get yourself out of it.

Mr. Brown:         Very good. I’m so glad we all agree. (Pauses)

(To Squirrel Nutkin) So, what are you waiting for? Get nut-collecting and I’ll see you back here later this afternoon.

(Mr. Brown hands Squirrel Nutkin a sack)

Here. I expect this to be filled to the top!

Tale 3:The Tailor of Gloucester

Cast of 6

Tailor of Gloucester
Mice (4)
Simpkin the Cat

Ridiculously like a certain fairy tale, featuring elves and shoes … but we’ll let that go! Those mice did an equally fine job!

Sample Text:

Mouse 1:             Oh no! This can’t be happening!

Mouse 2:             You heard! Simpkin’s going to hunt us again

Mouse 3:             Even worse than before!

All:                        (Together) We’re all doomed!

Mouse 4:             But wait a minute. There must be a way out of this.

Mouse 1:             Oh really? Like asking Simpkin if he’d be so good as to go hungry?

Mouse 2:             (Sarcastically) Yes, why not we suggest he go vegan?

Mouse 3:             That’s never going to happen!

Mouse 4:             But what if the tailor didn’t miss his order?

Mouse 1:             You mean, if he got better in time?

Mouse 2:             Or Christmas Day was later this year?

Mouse 3:             Or he became Superman overnight?

Tale 4 The Tale of Benjamin Bunny

Cast of 6

Little Benjamin Bunny (Benjamin)
Peter Rabbit (Peter)
Mrs Rabbit
Flopsy
Mopsy
Cotton-tail

Surely that Peter Rabbit’s not in trouble again? Who could possibly have led him astray?

Sample Text:

Cotton-tail:         You will get each other into more trouble?

Flopsy:                 Strikes me they’re doing pretty well at that already!

Mopsy:                 Nothing like digging your own hole!

Cotton-tail:         Rabbits are good at that!

Mrs Rabbit:         Enough! I need to find out what happened! Peter! Speak up!

Benjamin:            So, we were

Mrs Rabbit:         (Angrily, interrupting) Since when was your name, Peter? You’d better not have been ‘leading my son up the garden path’

Flopsy:                 (Interrupting) A nice description!

Mopsy:                 And pretty accurate by all accounts!

Tale 5: The Tale of Two Bad Mice

Cast of 6

Narrator
Nurse
Lucinda
Jane
Tom Thumb
Hunca Munca

So, it’s not just rabbits and squirrels that are badly behaved! If you ever thought mice were sweet, think again!

Narrator:             The scale of what you did was truly astonishing!

Lucinda:               For two small mice!

Jane:                     Who would have thought it possible?

Narrator:             So, shall we remind ourselves of what you did?

Tom Thumb:       (Cowering) Oh, must we?

Narrator:             Indeed we must.

Nurse:                  Nobody gets away with crimes that big

Lucinda:               Not even two wee mice!

These five scripts each take approximately five minutes to read, with six speakers each.

These plays are simple adaptations/conversation pieces based on Beatrix Potter’s tales, for use within the classroom. They can either be used as group readers or combined to create a whole class play/assembly.

They can be used as PSHE/Citizenship and/or Literacy resources – there are many tips on behaviour both within the scripts and afterwards, in the Q & A/Discussion sections. In the case of the latter, these offer a very simple line of questioning – they are intended as a starting point for further discussion and can, of course, be expanded beyond this simple format.

Also available:

 

Beatrix Potter, The Tales of, Part II

Beatrix Potter, The Tales of, Part III

Beatrix Potter, The Tales of, Part IV

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