“The Tale of Tom Kitten” is based on the story written by Beatrix Potter released 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. Potter's career as a children's author was launched in 1902 with the release of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. She continued to publish, and, in 1905, bought a farm, with the sales profits from her books. Her tales then took inspiration from the farm, its woodland surroundings, and nearby villages. Twenty thousand copies of the book were released in September 1907 and another 12,500 the following December. Potter composed a few miniature letters for child friends as if from the characters in the tale, and, in 1917, she released a painting book under Tom Kitten's name. In 1935, two books of piano pieces and piano duets for children were published with one piece inspired by Tom Kitten and another by the Puddle-Ducks.

Copyright 2024 Steve Adams

Bedtime Stories for Children is produced by Magic Monorail