This is a delightful and pleasant tale that brings a smile to one’s face. Was Mrs Tiggy-Winkle real, or merely Lucie’s dream? Mrs Tiggy-Winkle with her Basket by Beatrix Potter Little Lucie then joins Mrs Tiggy-Winkle for a cup of tea before walking back with her to deliver the clean laundry, and once only Lucie’s bundle is left and handed over, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle seems to run away, and something rather strange happens. Reading these descriptions is just so sweet and delightful! Mrs Tiggy-Winkle with her Washing by Beatrix Potter In the laundry are some rather fun things, from the tabby kitten’s mittens which she ‘washes … herself’ but sends down for ironing to some lambs’ woolly coats to Mrs Rabbit’s handkerchief to things that other Potter characters we know and love have sent in–like Peter Rabbit’s blue jacket and Squirrel Nutkin’s red tail coat, minus the tail (yanked off, just like his tail, one imagines). Mrs Tiggy-Winkle with her Iron by Beatrix Potter Lucie mentions the things she’s lost and Mrs Tiggy-Winkle begins to go through her laundry, the various different items that she has in her basket, and finally locates Lucie’s things while alongside also doing some ironing. The little washerwoman’s black nose goes ‘sniffle sniffle snuffle’ and eyes ‘twinkle twinkle’. Following these, she eventually finds herself in a very tiny house, spick and span, where she meets a little washerwoman, in a print gown and apron, a striped petticoat, and prickles in place of golden curls, who introduces herself as ‘an excellent clear-starcher’. Looking for these she goes about asking first the kitten, then Sally Henny-Penny and the cock robin, finally finding herself walking away from town where she finds a trail of small foot-marks.

The story open with a little girl Lucie who lives in Little-town and has lost ‘three pocket handkins and a pinny’.

This is a very sweet little tale and as I have written once before ( here), is one of the few I have read (I haven’t read them all, yet) in which none of the characters is spanked or eaten (or nearly eaten) or had their tails yanked off or any such (though many of these make an appearance or are mentioned). Published in 1905, this the sixth (seventh according to Wikipedia) of her twenty three (twenty four) stories of various animals. Since I have been mostly rereading books lately, my children’s book pick this time is a reread as well, and I chose this short charming Beatrix Potter book, The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.

I haven’t picked a children’s book to read or talk about for a while now.

Mrs tiggy winkle