The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck

Story

Jemima Puddle-Duck is annoyed because the farmer’s wife won’t let her hatch her own eggs. She decides to leave the farm and make a nest in the woods. In a clearing she meets an elegantly dressed gentleman who offers her a warm, dry place to lay her eggs. She tells Kep the collie-dog about her hospitable friend, but Kep is suspicious of the foxy gentleman.

Why we chose it

The Tale of Jemima Puddleduck is one of Beatrix Potter’s best- known stories. Beatrix Potter created some of the most popular animal characters in children’s literature, including alongside Jemima, Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Mrs Tiggywinkle and Squirrel Nutkin.

Where it came from

Beatrix Potter (1866 – 1943) described the story as a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. She based many of the characters on animals at Hill Top farm, where she lived in the Lake District. The farm manager’s wife, Mrs Cannon, thought that ducks were poor sitters and would regularly give the ducks’ eggs to the hens to incubate.

Where it went next

The book was an immediate success and is considered one of Potter’s best. The story has featured in several TV series’, a ballet, and Jemima herself appeared in the 2018 film adaptation of Peter Rabbit. Today, more than two million of Potter’s books are sold worldwide every year, and the Beatrix Potter brand is worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

Associated stories

The Tale of Jemima Puddleduck is the twelfth of Potter’s 23 Tales. Other stories include The Tale of Peter Rabbit , The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin , The Tale of Tom Kitten, The Tale of Jeremy Fisher and The Tale of Pigling Bland.