The Tale of Mr. Tod

{{Short description|Children's book by Beatrix Potter}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox Book |  | name = The Tale of Mr. Tod | image = The Tale of Mr Tod cover.jpg | image_caption = First edition cover (USA) | author = [[Beatrix Potter]] | illustrator = [[Beatrix Potter]] | country = [[England]] | language = [[English language|English]] | genre = [[Children's literature]] | publisher = [[Frederick Warne & Co]] | release_date = [[1912 in literature|1912]] | media_type = Print ([[Hardcover]]) | preceded_by = [[The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes]] | followed_by = [[The Tale of Pigling Bland]] }}

'''''The Tale of Mr. Tod''''' is a book written and illustrated by [[Beatrix Potter]] and was first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in [[1912 in literature|1912]]. It features [[Peter Rabbit]] and Benjamin Bunny along with several other characters from Potter's previous books. An animated film adaptation of the tale was featured on the [[BBC]] television [[anthology series]] ''[[The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends]]'' in 1995.

==Plot== [[File:Tale of mr tod tommy brock.jpg|thumb|left|The badger Tommy Brock with the stolen bunnies]]

Mr. Tod, a fox, and Tommy Brock, a badger, are both troublesome neighbours and "disagreeable people". Mr. Tod owns a number of homes around the wood. Whenever he moves from one house to another, Tommy Brock moves in to the vacated premises, without permission.

Tommy Brock visits a rabbit friend, Mr. Bouncer Bunny, and then steals his grandchildren, the Flopsy Bunnies, in order to cook and eat them. Their father, Benjamin Bunny, sets off in pursuit and he and his cousin [[Peter Rabbit]] track them down to one of Mr. Tod's homes.

Mr. Tod himself soon appears and is furious to find that Tommy Brock has made himself at home and is asleep in his bed. After setting a trap that fails to have any effect — Tommy Brock is only pretending to be asleep and thus avoids it — the fox and the badger fight it out. Benjamin and Peter take advantage to escape with Benjamin's children.

==Background== [[File:The tale of mr tod.jpg|thumb|Mr. Tod]] The book is dedicated to Francis William Clark who owned [[Ulva]], a small island off [[Isle of Mull|Mull]], in the [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[Inner Hebrides]]. Potter was a relative of his, and visited the island occasionally.<ref name=Howard>Howard, J. & Jones, A., ''The Isle of Ulva: A Visitor's Guide'', published by Ulva Estate, (2004)</ref>

"Brock" and "Tod" are [[Scots language|Lowland Scots]] and Northern English [[dialect]] words for "badger" and "fox" respectively.

==Book connections== The story features [[Peter Rabbit]], who first appeared in ''[[The Tale of Peter Rabbit]]'', and Benjamin Bunny and his father Mr. Bouncer Bunny from ''[[The Tale of Benjamin Bunny]]'', as well as Flopsy and the bunnies from ''[[The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies]]''. Peter's sister Cottontail, who first appeared in ''[[The Tale of Peter Rabbit]]'', also appears in a minor role, now married as well.

==In other media== It is generally supposed (though this is never explicitly stated) that the "foxy whiskered gentleman" who appeared in ''[[The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck]]'' is in fact Mr. Tod, whose residence matches the description of that character's house. In the [[BBC]] TV animated [[anthology series]] ''[[The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends]]'', broadcast between 1992 and 1995, they are both voiced by [[Dinsdale Landen]]. [[Don Henderson]] voiced Tommy Brock.

==References== <references />

==External links== {{Wikisource}} *{{gutenberg|no=19805|name=The Tale of Mr. Tod}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tale Of Mr. Tod. The}} [[Category:1912 children's books]] [[Category:Books by Beatrix Potter|Mr. Tod, The Tale of]]