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.
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