by Moe Zilla

Created on: December 03, 2010

"This is a Pussy called Miss Moppet; she thinks she has heard a mouse..."

It's a surprisingly exciting story. There is a mouse behind the cupboard, "making fun of Miss Moppet," and by the third illustration the kitten is pouncing after it. Unfortunately, the mouse is hiding where the cupboard meets the wall, and the poor cat just ends up whacking her own head. "She thinks it is a very hard cupboard!"

The mouse peers down intently from its cupboard perch, flicking its tail intently. Eventually it creeps down a red velvet bell rope. It sees that the cat has done something very strange. She's tied a blue scarf over her head...

More than 100 years ago, Beatrix Potter published "The Story of Miss Moppet," and it's important to know the story behind its publication. Before it was a book, it was just a wide strip of paper, according to Wikipedia. Her publisher was experimenting with a new "panorama" format for stories, marketed towards babies and very young children. There was only one other story published in the panorama format - "The Story of a Fierce, Bad, Rabbit." But it's always a jolt to read these two stories, since they're both very simple - and very short!

Potter manages to pack an amazing amount of tension into the story. That mouse really shouldn't be approaching the cat, but he thinks that she's distracted or sick. "The Mouse comes a little nearer," Potter writes, as the sorry-looking cat holds her head in her paws. "The Mouse comes VERY close," Potter continues - and then suddenly, the kitten pounces!

The illustrations are wonderful, making the animal characters seem more believable. (The kitten wears a pink bow around its neck, while the mischievous mouse wears a snappy green vest.) Beatrix Potter actually borrowed a real kitten from a mason working on her farm, who she later described as "a most fearful pickle." The energetic kitten presumably refused to hold still for her illustrating sessions!

Beatrix Potter's story often teach a lesson, when a misbehaving animal suffers the consequences. Peter Rabbit leaves behind his precious jacket, and "The Fierce, Bad, Rabbit" actually gets shot at by a farmer! Here the cat and the mouse both misbehave, since Miss Moppet decides to tease the mouse after she's caught him. She ties him up in the scarf and tosses him in the air like a ball.

And then the little mouse escapes back to the cupboard!

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