Mother West Wind's Children

d played tag and chased butterflies while Old Mother West Wind herself went to hunt for a raincloud which had wandered away before it had watered the thirsty little plants

little bit, or perhaps he would have helped Ol

he Smiling Pool, where the rushes grow tall, and there they too

up very straight on the edge of the Green Meadows. His long ears were pointed straight up, his big

r Rabbit has such long ears,"

ed a great, deep vo

he Smiling Pool. There on a great green lily pad sat Great-Grandfather Frog, his hands

" said Grand

tle Breezes all together, "do tell us why i

e looked north and he looked south, and each time he cleared his throat, but said nothing. Finally he folded his hands once more over his whit

is just possible that I might remember how it

em went east, some of them went west, some of them went north, some of them

of the Smiling Pool, each with a fat, foolish, green fly, a

reen flies brought by the Merry Little Breezes, he settled

it, but his grandfather a thousand times removed-had short ears like all the other meadow

s forever pushing his prying little nose into other people's affairs, which, yo

deal of curiosity, a

ing close by, listening to all they said. If Johnny Chuck's mother ran over to have a few minutes' chat with Ji

from house to house, tiptoeing softly up to the windows to listen to what the fo

end to his own business. His cabbage patch grew up to weeds. His house leaked, his fen

just couldn't keep his tongue still. And like m

eddy Fox and Bobby Coon never met without fighting. Jimmy Skunk and Johnny Chuck turned their backs on each other. Jerry Muskrat,

he soon saw what a dreadful state all the meadow people

se of Mr. Rabbit

but Mr. Rabbit,' sa

inquired it was the same-Mr. R

stering great Mr. North Wind, who is ve

But he did not dare do that, for he knew that there was nowhere he could hide that Mother Nature would not find him s

e people of the Green Meadows and all the little folks of the Green Forest there before him. There were Reddy Fox, Johnny Chuck, Striped Chipmunk, Happy Jack Squirrel, Mr.

ed that his heart went pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, and he wanted more than ever to run away. But he didn't dare to.

see him. Then in turn she asked each present who was the cause of all

e a sneak, for you creep up where you are not wanted and listen to things which do not concern you. You are a thief, for you steal the secrets of o

t, all the eyes of all the little meadow people and forest folk burning right into him. So he hung his head and two gre

down in her heart she loved Mr. R

near. Because you are a sneak and steal up to people unseen, your-hind legs shall be made long, so that whenever you sit up straight you will be tall and every one can see you, and whenever

lled. And when they put him down Peter Rabbit's ears and his hind legs were long, many times longer than they used to be. When he tried to

gs, all because of the curiosity of their grandfather a thousand times removed. And now you know why Pete

y Little Breezes, and raced away to help old Mother West Wind