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The World of Beatrix Potter #5
The Tale of Two Bad Mice
"Once upon a time, there was a very beautiful doll's-house..."
So begins 'The Tale of Two Bad Mice', a story written by Beatrix Potter and published in 1904. It was written during a particularly happy time in her life, as reflected in the story's cheerful and care-free tone. Here, the delightful setting for this most hilarious tale is a doll's house.
One day, when the house is empty, the two naughty mice, Tom Thumb and his wife, Hunca Munca, make themselves at home, only to find that the delicious looking ham that they were planning to devour is made of plaster, and the fish is glued to the plate!
Edition Notes: 2012 marks 110 years since Warne first published 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit'. In celebration, we are publishing limited editions of twelve classic tales with colorful covers, special endpapers, and notes explaining the history behind each book.
The landscape that Peter Rabbit first introduced to us in 1902 is still today one of Beatrix Potter's most popular and well-loved worlds. What started as an endearing story about a bunny rabbit would soon become the first ember for the illustrious series that is 'The World of Beatrix Potter', and a story which has endured retelling after retelling at bedtimes all over the world.
Beatrix Potter (1866–1943) loved the countryside and spent much of her childhood drawing and studying animals. 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit', first published in 1902, was her first book. She later went on to publish more than twenty tales and collections of rhymes.
Age Rating: 3–12+ / Preschool - 2+ / Lexile Measure 700L
So begins 'The Tale of Two Bad Mice', a story written by Beatrix Potter and published in 1904. It was written during a particularly happy time in her life, as reflected in the story's cheerful and care-free tone. Here, the delightful setting for this most hilarious tale is a doll's house.
One day, when the house is empty, the two naughty mice, Tom Thumb and his wife, Hunca Munca, make themselves at home, only to find that the delicious looking ham that they were planning to devour is made of plaster, and the fish is glued to the plate!
Edition Notes: 2012 marks 110 years since Warne first published 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit'. In celebration, we are publishing limited editions of twelve classic tales with colorful covers, special endpapers, and notes explaining the history behind each book.
The landscape that Peter Rabbit first introduced to us in 1902 is still today one of Beatrix Potter's most popular and well-loved worlds. What started as an endearing story about a bunny rabbit would soon become the first ember for the illustrious series that is 'The World of Beatrix Potter', and a story which has endured retelling after retelling at bedtimes all over the world.
Beatrix Potter (1866–1943) loved the countryside and spent much of her childhood drawing and studying animals. 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit', first published in 1902, was her first book. She later went on to publish more than twenty tales and collections of rhymes.
Age Rating: 3–12+ / Preschool - 2+ / Lexile Measure 700L
72 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1904
50 people are currently reading
1890 people want to read
About the author
Beatrix Potter
3,336 books2,136 followersHelen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, mycologist, and conservationist who is best known for her children's books, which featured animal characters such as Peter Rabbit.
Born into a wealthy household, Potter was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. She had numerous pets, and through holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, developed a love of landscape, flora, and fauna, all of which she closely observed and painted. Because she was a woman, her parents discouraged intellectual development, but her study and paintings of fungi led her to be widely respected in the field of mycology.
In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit and became secretly engaged to her publisher, Norman Warne, causing a breach with her parents, who disapproved of his social status. Warne died before the wedding.
Potter eventually published 24 children's books, the most recent being The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots (2016), and having become financially independent of her parents, was able to buy a farm in the Lake District, which she extended with other purchases over time.
In her forties, she married a local solicitor, William Heelis. She became a sheep breeder and farmer while continuing to write and illustrate children's books. Potter died in 1943 and left almost all of her property to The National Trust in order to preserve the beauty of the Lake District as she had known it, protecting it from developers.
Potter's books continue to sell well throughout the world, in multiple languages. Her stories have been retold in various formats, including a ballet, films, and in animation.
Born into a wealthy household, Potter was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. She had numerous pets, and through holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, developed a love of landscape, flora, and fauna, all of which she closely observed and painted. Because she was a woman, her parents discouraged intellectual development, but her study and paintings of fungi led her to be widely respected in the field of mycology.
In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit and became secretly engaged to her publisher, Norman Warne, causing a breach with her parents, who disapproved of his social status. Warne died before the wedding.
Potter eventually published 24 children's books, the most recent being The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots (2016), and having become financially independent of her parents, was able to buy a farm in the Lake District, which she extended with other purchases over time.
In her forties, she married a local solicitor, William Heelis. She became a sheep breeder and farmer while continuing to write and illustrate children's books. Potter died in 1943 and left almost all of her property to The National Trust in order to preserve the beauty of the Lake District as she had known it, protecting it from developers.
Potter's books continue to sell well throughout the world, in multiple languages. Her stories have been retold in various formats, including a ballet, films, and in animation.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 382 reviews
November 5, 2016
Are the mice really that bad?
Sure, they break into the house of an inanimate object (big crime I know) and smash up her stuff. But who cares? She’s only a porcelain doll. And the two mice are only trying to feed their babies. If anything they’re the victims. They’ve been teased by the fake food in the windows and tempted by falsehood. When they realise they can’t get into it by normal means, they smash it up to try and eat it. I wouldn’t call them bad, opportunistic maybe but not bad.
The dolls, on the other hand, they’re pure evil. They lounge around the house all day teasing mice with food, and even go as far as to lay down traps for the poor creatures. Then, if that wasn’t enough reason to hate them, they bring in a policeman to enforce their fascist means of control. Instead of talking to the mice they just go straight to the authorities. There’s no reasoning to be had with these nasty dolls.
Something does tell me though that the book might not have sold with the title “The tale of the two opportunistic mice who are tempted by the fascist dolls.”
Sure, they break into the house of an inanimate object (big crime I know) and smash up her stuff. But who cares? She’s only a porcelain doll. And the two mice are only trying to feed their babies. If anything they’re the victims. They’ve been teased by the fake food in the windows and tempted by falsehood. When they realise they can’t get into it by normal means, they smash it up to try and eat it. I wouldn’t call them bad, opportunistic maybe but not bad.
The dolls, on the other hand, they’re pure evil. They lounge around the house all day teasing mice with food, and even go as far as to lay down traps for the poor creatures. Then, if that wasn’t enough reason to hate them, they bring in a policeman to enforce their fascist means of control. Instead of talking to the mice they just go straight to the authorities. There’s no reasoning to be had with these nasty dolls.
Something does tell me though that the book might not have sold with the title “The tale of the two opportunistic mice who are tempted by the fascist dolls.”
November 6, 2018
My kid's grandma bought us a 12 book set of the original Beatrix Potter books. I'll be reviewing them at random and out of order!
I thought I'd start on a high point. This is maybe the best of the bunch and has aged fairly well compared to the other books. No children get beaten by their parents or lose their parents to the farmer or anything awful like that.
The two mice are fun and their adventure has an ok twist to it. One of them has the forgettable name Tom Thumb but the other mouse is named Hunca Munca and she steals the show.
Potter still sneaks in some stifling values and really old school gender stuff. But the mice end up happy and the illustrations are great. So I guess if you're itching to read some classic animal stuff to your kids, this one is a solid enough pick.
I thought I'd start on a high point. This is maybe the best of the bunch and has aged fairly well compared to the other books. No children get beaten by their parents or lose their parents to the farmer or anything awful like that.
The two mice are fun and their adventure has an ok twist to it. One of them has the forgettable name Tom Thumb but the other mouse is named Hunca Munca and she steals the show.
Potter still sneaks in some stifling values and really old school gender stuff. But the mice end up happy and the illustrations are great. So I guess if you're itching to read some classic animal stuff to your kids, this one is a solid enough pick.
May 20, 2017
DON PETER RABBIT :
Lucinda, we know each other for years, but this is the first time you come to me for help. I don't remember the last time you invited me to your burrow for carrots...
LUCINDA :
Don Peter, I'll give you anything you want... I ask for Justice. Make the two bad mice suffer as we suffer. How much shall we pay you?
DON PETER :
So now you come to me and say Don Peter Rabbit, you must give me justice. And you don't ask in respect or friendship. And you don't think to call me Bunfather; instead you come to my house on the day my 14 daughters are to be married and you ask me to get rid of these two bad mice...for money. But if you come to me with your friendship, your loyalty, then your enemies become my enemies, and then, believe me, they would fear you...
[Slowly, Lucinda bows her head.]
LUCINDA:
Be my friend Don Peter.
[She kisses Don Peter’s paw.]
DON PETER :
Good. From me you'll get Justice.
LUCINDA:
Bunfather.
Lucinda, we know each other for years, but this is the first time you come to me for help. I don't remember the last time you invited me to your burrow for carrots...
LUCINDA :
Don Peter, I'll give you anything you want... I ask for Justice. Make the two bad mice suffer as we suffer. How much shall we pay you?
DON PETER :
So now you come to me and say Don Peter Rabbit, you must give me justice. And you don't ask in respect or friendship. And you don't think to call me Bunfather; instead you come to my house on the day my 14 daughters are to be married and you ask me to get rid of these two bad mice...for money. But if you come to me with your friendship, your loyalty, then your enemies become my enemies, and then, believe me, they would fear you...
[Slowly, Lucinda bows her head.]
LUCINDA:
Be my friend Don Peter.
[She kisses Don Peter’s paw.]
DON PETER :
Good. From me you'll get Justice.
LUCINDA:
Bunfather.
December 17, 2015
So I may be overdosing a bit on nostalgia tonight, but I'm feeling oddly sentimental and wanted to share my thoughts.
I had a really rough day today. Christmastime is a time when we all think back on our lives for the past year. What did 2015 bring us? What is it that we remember as we reflect? Good times, bad times, scary times, happy times. We revel in the memories of friends and family, we sadden as we remember loss. We laugh when we think back to times we did stupid things or embarrassing things, or jokes we've made. I've always loved the holiday season. A chill in the air, lights illuminating downtowns, big gorgeous trees strung up with ornaments and tinsel and bright lights. Windows lit up for passing carolers. Shoppers trying to find that one perfect gift. Binge watching Home Alone, Elf, and A Christmas Story. People being abnormally friendly to one another. It's the spirit of the holiday season I look forward to every year more than the day itself.
This year is a little different. Three people who were present at my holiday table last year are no longer with us. My friend Eric passed last February. My grandmother passed in March, and my uncle passed in May. All three were relatively unexpected. Never in a million years would I have guessed that last Christmas would be the last holiday I would spend with any of them.
But I'm a tough broad. I knew this holiday season would be a little rougher than most but I knew I could handle it. Then a few weeks ago I received the news that my best friend and partner would be spending the holidays away from home. As hard as I try to remain positive, cheery, and hopeful, knowing that I won't be spending my Christmas with the person I love most in this world is the eggnog my demons are toasting with in my honor. Some days are better than others, and today has been the worst of all. I came home trying really hard to be Tiny Tim on the outside, while Scrooge was taking over my heart.
Trying to muster up even a scrap of Christmas spirit, I unpacked the ornaments and began decorating my yet undecorated tree. The last ornament I found was a wooden likeness of Beatrix Potter's Hunca Munca, one of the titular two bad mice from this little tale.
There are few tales in this world that are absolutely perfect to me and this short story is one of them. I can sit here and list every plot point, every character, every perfect illustration and describe them all in intricate detail, but I won't. I love the story, the characters, and the illustrations, but above all I love this story so much because it reminds me of my grandmother. She had first edition copies of all of Potter's stories and read them to us as kids, but the only one I ever wanted her to read was this one. I loved Hunca Munca. I loved her nature, her pretty purple dress, her sweet little white apron. I heard this story tens of millions of times as a child and throughout my lifetime and I never tire of it. It makes me think of my grandmother. How she would read to me in bed while rubbing my arms with her fingertips: "magic tickles" as she called them. This story reminds me of blueberries and powdered sugar for breakfast, making cinnamon twists during the holidays, her letting my brother win at Monopoly all the time (he was the sore loser of the family), and above all it made me think of Christmas which was also my grandmother's birthday. Picking up that ornament to put on the tree flooded by mind with these memories, and ironically, it was the good that outweighed the painful. I thought about Hunca Munca, the little mouse who tried so hard not to be so terribly bad anymore, and it added a much needed light to my evening.
So this Christmas, I will be missing a lot of people. Aching at their lack of presence, wishing things were different, but accepting that they aren't. But crying about it won't bring my loved ones back, won't bring my best friend home, won't make me forget. So to all my friends, during this holiday season, think about the things in your life, however small they may be, that give your spirit warmth. Be kind. Be giving. Observe the beauty around you. Remember the good times. Show the people you love how much you love them. Spread cheer. Bake cookies. Watch Home Alone ten thousand times. Eat lots of chocolate. Drink lots of eggnog. And above all, remember to smile. Smiling is the first step.
I had a really rough day today. Christmastime is a time when we all think back on our lives for the past year. What did 2015 bring us? What is it that we remember as we reflect? Good times, bad times, scary times, happy times. We revel in the memories of friends and family, we sadden as we remember loss. We laugh when we think back to times we did stupid things or embarrassing things, or jokes we've made. I've always loved the holiday season. A chill in the air, lights illuminating downtowns, big gorgeous trees strung up with ornaments and tinsel and bright lights. Windows lit up for passing carolers. Shoppers trying to find that one perfect gift. Binge watching Home Alone, Elf, and A Christmas Story. People being abnormally friendly to one another. It's the spirit of the holiday season I look forward to every year more than the day itself.
This year is a little different. Three people who were present at my holiday table last year are no longer with us. My friend Eric passed last February. My grandmother passed in March, and my uncle passed in May. All three were relatively unexpected. Never in a million years would I have guessed that last Christmas would be the last holiday I would spend with any of them.
But I'm a tough broad. I knew this holiday season would be a little rougher than most but I knew I could handle it. Then a few weeks ago I received the news that my best friend and partner would be spending the holidays away from home. As hard as I try to remain positive, cheery, and hopeful, knowing that I won't be spending my Christmas with the person I love most in this world is the eggnog my demons are toasting with in my honor. Some days are better than others, and today has been the worst of all. I came home trying really hard to be Tiny Tim on the outside, while Scrooge was taking over my heart.
Trying to muster up even a scrap of Christmas spirit, I unpacked the ornaments and began decorating my yet undecorated tree. The last ornament I found was a wooden likeness of Beatrix Potter's Hunca Munca, one of the titular two bad mice from this little tale.
There are few tales in this world that are absolutely perfect to me and this short story is one of them. I can sit here and list every plot point, every character, every perfect illustration and describe them all in intricate detail, but I won't. I love the story, the characters, and the illustrations, but above all I love this story so much because it reminds me of my grandmother. She had first edition copies of all of Potter's stories and read them to us as kids, but the only one I ever wanted her to read was this one. I loved Hunca Munca. I loved her nature, her pretty purple dress, her sweet little white apron. I heard this story tens of millions of times as a child and throughout my lifetime and I never tire of it. It makes me think of my grandmother. How she would read to me in bed while rubbing my arms with her fingertips: "magic tickles" as she called them. This story reminds me of blueberries and powdered sugar for breakfast, making cinnamon twists during the holidays, her letting my brother win at Monopoly all the time (he was the sore loser of the family), and above all it made me think of Christmas which was also my grandmother's birthday. Picking up that ornament to put on the tree flooded by mind with these memories, and ironically, it was the good that outweighed the painful. I thought about Hunca Munca, the little mouse who tried so hard not to be so terribly bad anymore, and it added a much needed light to my evening.
So this Christmas, I will be missing a lot of people. Aching at their lack of presence, wishing things were different, but accepting that they aren't. But crying about it won't bring my loved ones back, won't bring my best friend home, won't make me forget. So to all my friends, during this holiday season, think about the things in your life, however small they may be, that give your spirit warmth. Be kind. Be giving. Observe the beauty around you. Remember the good times. Show the people you love how much you love them. Spread cheer. Bake cookies. Watch Home Alone ten thousand times. Eat lots of chocolate. Drink lots of eggnog. And above all, remember to smile. Smiling is the first step.
March 31, 2020
I thought this was a delightful tale from Beatrix Potter. It might be one of my favourites, actually. I've always had a love for dollhouses and all of the beautifully crafted furniture one can buy for them, so this story suited me rather well.
I found it particularly amusing when the two mice discovered to their dismay that food was fake, so they had tantrums and more or less destroyed everything! I enjoyed the moral of the story which is that if one damages someone's property, we have to find a way to make it right again. But, it goes without saying, that one shouldn't be damaging ones property in the first place!
I found it particularly amusing when the two mice discovered to their dismay that food was fake, so they had tantrums and more or less destroyed everything! I enjoyed the moral of the story which is that if one damages someone's property, we have to find a way to make it right again. But, it goes without saying, that one shouldn't be damaging ones property in the first place!
February 11, 2015
Celebrity Death Match Special: The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch versus The Tale of Two Bad Mice
"You see them often?" asked Hunca. Her tone was casual, but Tom immediately caught the edge in her voice.
"Who do you mean?" he said, pretending not to understand. It was a strategy that had worked before.
Hunca moved a step closer to the layout. "The Chinese," she breathed, unable to contain her excitement any longer as she gazed at the doll's-house. Her ample breasts rose and fell under the thin synthasilk sweater. "I know you meet them all the time. You must have some... stuff."
Tom calculated rapidly: none of the other colonists would be back for at least an hour. That should be enough. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the sticks of MAO-Z.
"Jesus Christ!" Hunca's eyes shone as she grabbed one of the sticks for herself. "You bastard! Six whole units!" She avidly unwapped the foil and popped the stick into her mouth. Tom did the same. For a few seconds, they both said nothing, chewing as quickly as they could. Then the change operated, and they were inside the layout.
Tom looked at Hunca; even in her rodent body, she was still very attractive. He put a clawed hand on her haunch, but she pushed him away.
"Food first," she said, her eyes fixed on the table. "It looks good, doesn't it?" Tom had to agree. The sight of the glazed ham made his mouth water, and the lobsters were if anything even more appetizing. Why not? They had plenty of time. He seized a knife and started to carve the ham.
The knife buckled in his hand; the meat was rock hard. Hunca stared at him, appalled. Tom tried the lobsters, but he already knew what he would find. They had also petrified. Evidently, Palmer Eldritch's power now extended even into the layouts.
"Oh no!" sobbed Hunca as mouse-tears trickled down her cheeks, moving with exaggerated slowness in the Martian gravity. "What are we going to do?"
"You see them often?" asked Hunca. Her tone was casual, but Tom immediately caught the edge in her voice.
"Who do you mean?" he said, pretending not to understand. It was a strategy that had worked before.
Hunca moved a step closer to the layout. "The Chinese," she breathed, unable to contain her excitement any longer as she gazed at the doll's-house. Her ample breasts rose and fell under the thin synthasilk sweater. "I know you meet them all the time. You must have some... stuff."
Tom calculated rapidly: none of the other colonists would be back for at least an hour. That should be enough. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the sticks of MAO-Z.
"Jesus Christ!" Hunca's eyes shone as she grabbed one of the sticks for herself. "You bastard! Six whole units!" She avidly unwapped the foil and popped the stick into her mouth. Tom did the same. For a few seconds, they both said nothing, chewing as quickly as they could. Then the change operated, and they were inside the layout.
Tom looked at Hunca; even in her rodent body, she was still very attractive. He put a clawed hand on her haunch, but she pushed him away.
"Food first," she said, her eyes fixed on the table. "It looks good, doesn't it?" Tom had to agree. The sight of the glazed ham made his mouth water, and the lobsters were if anything even more appetizing. Why not? They had plenty of time. He seized a knife and started to carve the ham.
The knife buckled in his hand; the meat was rock hard. Hunca stared at him, appalled. Tom tried the lobsters, but he already knew what he would find. They had also petrified. Evidently, Palmer Eldritch's power now extended even into the layouts.
"Oh no!" sobbed Hunca as mouse-tears trickled down her cheeks, moving with exaggerated slowness in the Martian gravity. "What are we going to do?"
December 29, 2018
I enjoyed acquainting authoress Sarah Albee and artist Maggie Swanson via their professional websites. I did not read Beatrix Potter as a child but am an adult who cannot abide her glum stories. “The Tale Of Two Bad Mice”, alas, is negative. It is complete nonsense, too. I do not know the 1904 original but the 2003 retelling could have been made positive. Lessons never need to be extreme, although I concur that respecting people, animals, and property is important.
Fairytales are make-believe but one has to suspend disbelief over very twisted world-building. Sarah’s & Maggie’s concept has three realities. The setting is a dollhouse in which occupants think, feel, and go in and out but are like objects, insofar as they do not eat. Their food is artificial. In a line or two of narration only, people are mentioned; on the outskirts of this skewed world. There are real mice but they are personified as wanting possessions for their children. We are not privy to whether the people know the personified mice, nor the dolls’ capacity to feel.
The mice explore the toy mansion for food. That was fine. Where it oversteps logic is in them being so angry at finding the food plastic, that they steal furnishings and deliberately make a mess, in a tantrum. Animals do not vandalize, nor do anything spitefully! That was the most irksome aspect. The unknown child imagines she needs a police doll and a nanny suggests a trap for the actual mice, which would be cruel. For Pete’s sake, choose a reality and follow it! The dolls retrieve everything close at hand. Aware that they had been disrespectful, the mice rectify their misdemeanour. I gave three stars for exercises on respectfulness that follow this story and for Maggie’s very sweet, detailed drawings.
Fairytales are make-believe but one has to suspend disbelief over very twisted world-building. Sarah’s & Maggie’s concept has three realities. The setting is a dollhouse in which occupants think, feel, and go in and out but are like objects, insofar as they do not eat. Their food is artificial. In a line or two of narration only, people are mentioned; on the outskirts of this skewed world. There are real mice but they are personified as wanting possessions for their children. We are not privy to whether the people know the personified mice, nor the dolls’ capacity to feel.
The mice explore the toy mansion for food. That was fine. Where it oversteps logic is in them being so angry at finding the food plastic, that they steal furnishings and deliberately make a mess, in a tantrum. Animals do not vandalize, nor do anything spitefully! That was the most irksome aspect. The unknown child imagines she needs a police doll and a nanny suggests a trap for the actual mice, which would be cruel. For Pete’s sake, choose a reality and follow it! The dolls retrieve everything close at hand. Aware that they had been disrespectful, the mice rectify their misdemeanour. I gave three stars for exercises on respectfulness that follow this story and for Maggie’s very sweet, detailed drawings.
February 10, 2024
5 stars. Another book I memorized as a child… because my sister adored it! Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca are pretty cute, and I enjoy their befuddlement over the dollhouse. As someone who hated dollhouses, personally, because of how dumb they often were, I relate to their frustration! The illustrations are beautiful, and the plot is super cute, and I love the bit of redemption at the end. :)
December 27, 2022
Two little mice called Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca invade a doll’s house while the dolls are out. Initially excited by the array of food left on the table, the excitement turns to fury when the discover that it is fake (ie. doll’s) food stuck to the plates, and completely inedible. They then trash the place, and steal anything that they can.
But its OK, because later Tom Thumb pays a ‘crooked sixpence’ for the damage, and Hunca Munca goes each day to clean the house.
Really NOT OK. If it were my doll’s house, I would be straight for the mousetraps!
Still the illustrations are wonderful, and I like the idea of the mice trying to eat the fake food.
But its OK, because later Tom Thumb pays a ‘crooked sixpence’ for the damage, and Hunca Munca goes each day to clean the house.
Really NOT OK. If it were my doll’s house, I would be straight for the mousetraps!
Still the illustrations are wonderful, and I like the idea of the mice trying to eat the fake food.
March 11, 2017
So I'm getting to know the Beatrix Potter stories. Quite by accident, I found two booklets on my shelves quite unexpectedly. This is my third one, still cute, but a little less cute than The tale of Samuel Whiskers or the Roly-Poly pudding and The tale of the pie and the patty pan, which I found a bit more sparkling and humorous.
Anyway cute, these Beatrix Potter books...
Anyway cute, these Beatrix Potter books...
October 31, 2024
The two mice are fun and their adventure has an good twist to it. Two mice come into a home that is not there's expecting to be feed and the food is fake so they destroy the doll house and steal stuff. The illustrations in this one are particularly cute.
November 19, 2009
I don't remember this from when I was young but I probably had it read to me. I liked this quite a bit more than I expected. It's actually very funny, the mice are cute, the story is different, in a good way, and it works well from beginning to end. I love dollhouses but the mice feel frustration when they find that the food in the dollhouse isn't real. What happens makes for a good story that holds up well even though it was written over a century ago.
July 9, 2013
A scathing social commentary on the glossy veneer of consumer culture.
Also, there is a cute mouse in a dress named Hunca Munca!
Buy this title from Powell's Books.
Also, there is a cute mouse in a dress named Hunca Munca!
Buy this title from Powell's Books.
August 4, 2023
The illustrations in this one are particularly cute. I would even frame them, particularly the wee mother mouse with her broom and dust pan or the mouse couple at the dinner table. Tot is obsessed with brooms lately.
April 2, 2024
Aw I love them 😭
May 12, 2014
When Tom Thumb and his wife Hunca Munca (what were her parents thinking?) break into Lucinda and Jane's delightfully furnished home, they go on a rampage through the house, destroying the fake food, climbing the chimney, and stealing anything that will fit through their own front door. When the 'single' ladies return from an afternoon's perambulation they can only look on in mute horror at the devastation that awaits them. The mice have the gall to return later and leave a token sixpence to pay for damages with the dolls' landlady, and Hunca Munca does a bit of sweeping up to try to rid herself of some of her guilt.
The key point of this story can be found in the publication date, 1904, proving that you could not go out and leave your door open, as we have been lead to believe, and that crime was just as bad then as it is today.
The key point of this story can be found in the publication date, 1904, proving that you could not go out and leave your door open, as we have been lead to believe, and that crime was just as bad then as it is today.
October 10, 2015
Such bad little mice! I could so easily see mice leaving this kind of wreckage everywhere. I think that's one of the things I love about Beatrix Potter is that she never forgets mice are mice even with human qualities. Great story that brings back happy memories as I read this.
June 29, 2017
I think this is a children's version of a frat party. Two mice come into a home that is not there's expecting to be feed and the food is fake so they destroy the doll house and steal stuff. It's ok in the end because they pay for it. A very weird tale indeed.
December 18, 2018
This is still as funny as when I read it as a boy, when just the name "Hunca Munca" could make me burst out laughing.
June 3, 2022
A cute little tale about some mice that get up to mischief in a doll house.
Ages: 3 - 8
Ages: 3 - 8
July 16, 2025
داستان نمکی و قشنگی بود .
شروع خوبی داشت اما پایان بندی جالب نبود و از میانه ناگهانی و پرشوار، داستان رو به پایان رفت و خیلی مبهم تمام شد .
البته مشخص نیست داستان اصلی هم اینطور است یا پس از ترجمه به این سبک درآمده است .
شروع خوبی داشت اما پایان بندی جالب نبود و از میانه ناگهانی و پرشوار، داستان رو به پایان رفت و خیلی مبهم تمام شد .
البته مشخص نیست داستان اصلی هم اینطور است یا پس از ترجمه به این سبک درآمده است .
July 13, 2025
A whimsical story, standing up to the test of time. Small daughter and I both enjoyed it.
July 1, 2021
This is one of our favorite Beatrix Potter tales! Little Tom Thumb and his wife Hunca Munca discover a doll's house and raid the "food" that is already set out on the table. They lose their tempers when they discover the food is not real so they run off with doll clothes and furniture which they later feel guilty after their conscience kicks in. They repent by putting coins of repayment in the doll's stockings and cleaning their house.
I think this especially struck a chord with my kids as they have rabbits and hamsters that they allow to play in their dollhouse! Good conversation starter on how we treat other people's property and if we break something we make it right again.
I think this especially struck a chord with my kids as they have rabbits and hamsters that they allow to play in their dollhouse! Good conversation starter on how we treat other people's property and if we break something we make it right again.
April 5, 2012
Tom Thumb and Hunca and Munca, the two bad mice, repaying for all they have stolen from the doll house.
This is good!
This is good!
January 22, 2018
These two bad mice go a full-throated spree of violent peevishness that is very gratifying to the reader. The title is misleading because the mice quite nicely atone for their havoc, so it’s actually a perfect little story.
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March 6, 2022I don't know about you but I am absolutely in LOVE with the idea of two mice who are all excited about the luxuries of a dollhouse but then go around wrecking it all yelling "IT'S ALL BULLSHIT, IT'S NOT REAL"
February 16, 2020
just too cute.
April 24, 2017
My son's favorite book by Beatrix Potter. He would laugh and laugh over this book so I came to love it even more.
May 2, 2016
My 3 year old daughter brings me this book several times a day to read.
November 3, 2018
Anyone who has ever been enthralled with doll's houses and their miniature furnishings would find this story delightful.
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