Never trust someone who offers to make you an omelet! Plus heroic dogs in bowler hats, confusion about when and where to wear a three-piece suit, and wooden trolls in Brooke & Eleanor's journey into "The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck."
In which we open a tiny hillside door into the world our favorite Edwardian hedgehog washerwoman, which immediately derails into a discussion of megafauna, the sounds chickens actually make, and what "gophering" is. Follow us on @bunnybookspodcast for some of the illustrations we're talking about.
Squirrel Nutkins: cute squirrel story or harrowing tale of an owl-centered cult? YOU decide! Brooke and Eleanor discuss Beatrix Potter's second published book. Rhyming-riddle antics and adorable wildlife bowling ensues.
In which Brooke and Eleanor dive into The Tale of Peter Rabbit, aka "The One You've Probably Heard Of," and why anyone would bother to read the entire opus of a children's author from 100+ years ago.
We've reached the LONGEST BOOK in the series -- but it certainly isn't the slowest! Have your emergency peppermints on hand as Brooke and Eleanor dive into The Tale of Pigling Bland (and immediately get waylaid by a discussion of the legal status of pigs in the Beatrix Potter Universe).
In which the "little books" of Beatrix Potter doesn't seem so little anymore. Mr. Tod's tale of dubious behavior clocks in at 96 pages long (!) and features a hefty amount of badger slander. Slander, we say -- and the Flopsy Bunnies are on hand to be kidnapped once again.
Take a trip to a world where Edwardian mice have multi-course meals and ask petty little questions about the length of your tail! Yes, it's time to read "The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse," where Brooke and Eleanor squee over the cutest mouse to ever sleep nestled next to a pea pod.
We dive back into Squirrel World for one weird fever dream of a story. Can a person have TOO many nuts? Or will that arouse the ire of the Squirrel Mob? Brooke and Eleanor dive into "The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes" and are relieved to find that Beatrix Potter redeems it all at the end with one of the cutest illusrations so far.
What's worse, a home invasion of bees the size of footstools, or a bee-exterminator who overstays his welcome? Fortunately, thanks to Mrs. Tittlemouse, we don't have to answer these questions ourselves. Eleanor & Brooke read the "Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse," and discuss gorgeous insect illustration, passive-agressive hostess skills, and honey-eating toads.
Being volume THREE of the Peter Rabbit Trilogy!! Also, the only book of the trilogy in which there are no felonies committed by rabbits. Felonies commited ON rabbits is another thing altogether. Join Brooke & Eleanor as they encounter ridiculously deep sleeping spells and fail to pronounce the name of a Welsh estate!
Bursting buttons! Pants-stealing ducks! Lying to your friends about the kids having measles! Yes, it's the Tale of Tom Kitten, in which a beleagured mother goes to ridiculous lengths to get a moment to make toast. Brooke and Eleanor discuss all this and much, much more in this episode.
Even the most seasoned fisherman has a day when all the fish are laughing at you behind your back. Brooke and Eleanor commiserate with Jeremy Fisher, are envious of Issac Newton's snazzy outfit, and debate whether or not it's a good thing to have a snail the size of a dinner plate hanging around your house.
In which mice invade a doll's house and have a PAR-TAY with pillow fights, bookshelf theft, and the righteous destruction of a plaster ham. Brooke and Eleanor read "The Tale of Two Bad Mice" and discuss creepy dolls, redemption arcs and the demise of the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Peter Rabbit had a cousin and that cousin's adventures have Sequel Problems. Eleanor and Brooke discuss "The Tale of Benjamin Bunny," along with rabbit-made knitwear, scandalous reviews from the London Times, and whether the phrase "rabbit tobacco" is as funny as Beatrix Potter thought it was. Follow along on Instagram @bunnybookspodcast
Beatrix Potter's only historical fiction and only Christmas story -- and possibly best-written work? Brooke and Eleanor surmount their American inability to pronounce "Gloucester" to discuss 18th century fashion, folklore, and carousing Christmas rats.