a fierce bad rabbit

Thank you for your nice comments yesterday! Here is a peek inside the book of Arlo's i mentioned: 'A Fierce Bad Rabbit', by Beatrix Potter. It surprised me when I first read it to him- I think your average children's story these days has come a long way since 1906, which is when this one was first published. It's a very thinly disguised cautionary tale that goes like this:

There's a mean bad rabbit who snatches a carrot from a good rabbit, but he doesn't say please, and he scratches the good rabbit very badly.

A man with a gun comes along, he sees the bad rabbit, and shoots at him- bang! But when he runs to where the rabbit was, all he finds is a tail and a half-chewed carrot.

The bad rabbit runs away without a tail or any whiskers. The End.

Arlo seemed to be quite frightened by the story when I read it to him, but Keira laughed. We'll probably stick with Peter Rabbit for a while longer.

I made Keira a little scarf today, as I think she silently disposed of her usual one from the side of pram one day last week when I wasn't looking. This one is made from some vintage cotton and linen scraps, and backed with cotton flannel. I added a velcro patch to hold it in place around her chest.

I asked her what she'd like me to embroider on the edge, and she said 'a rain cloud.' Turns out she had actually said 'a red clown' but she wasn't too disappointed with it.

Comments

[Helen]

That is so darling! I bet grown-ups would like them, too.

x Helen

[Kat]

Aww, that's sweet!

[Taryn Domingos]

Oops! I like the cloud better though, clowns always used to make me uneasy. The scarf is fantastic and Keira looks darling in it!

That Potter book is a bit on the disturbing side. I remember checking out a book called "There is a Monster Under My Bed" and it gave me a terrible fright. I had never known that there were monsters under the bed. Apparently the book was to help children deal with their bedtime fears, but it only created mine!

[Megan]

Hilarious book. My kids just love watching disney cartoons circa 30-50's. Bugs Bunny sure ain't what he used to be, I tell you, in both good and bad ways.

And totally gorgeous scarf. Almost as gorgeous as the model.

[Ruth]

Gorgeous scarf! I can see how you can get rain clouds from red clown :)

[rachael]

could that child get any cuter?! what a darling. Nice scarf too ;)I hgope she keeps that pretty thing snug around her neck. We lost quite a few things over the edge of the pram.

Some of those old stories are quite scary aren't they. I remember lying awake and staring into the darkness thinking of Hansel and Gretel and the witch getting shoved into the oven and Hansel being locked up in the cage. It's all flooding back now. I'm still quite scared of the dark.

[meg]

that scarf is super sweet. and what a sweet picture!

[alice]

Ha ha, i always - well ok not always, but occasionally - worry that if i have kids i won't be able to understand what they're talking about (i can never understand other people's babies).. but 'rain cloud' for 'red clown' is a pretty minor misunderstanding! It's a lovely scarf.

[Kate]

Love that scarf!! Great velcro idea.

[kirsten]

the book is hilarious/scary - the scarf is super cute - esp. around that little face! :)

[Kirsten]

Great scarf :) Love the Peter Rabbit book too - I am a huge Beatrix Potter fan. Although I haven't seen the new movie yet.

[Beth]

Oh, I love that little scarf and would vote for a rain cloud over a clown any day of the week!

We have lots of old Potter books but the one that cracks us up is a selection of poems. Many are riddles that make NO sense to us and at the end they'll say, "Answer: A Sunbeam" or some such thing. Mr. McGregor is a little scary to me...

[Lori]

hehehe....red clown and rain clown sound the same to me. :o)
love the precious scarf.

we read that book when my oldest was young about the fierce rabbit running off with no tail...oh my!
we had to talk about it for a bit after. :o)

[Chara Michele]

Lovely scarf! I think I like the rain cloud better than a clown:)

[heidi]

such a scary book...sucha sweet sweet girlie! love the scarf melissa!

[Dawn]

"Red clown"/"Rain Cloud", hmm I can see that. Glad she is easy to please or that would have been hard to fake. As for the book, I guess the question is will Arlo take someone elses carrot without asking first? I think not. That Beatrix, she knows her stuff.

[fijimama]

What a sweet scarf and sweet girl. Isn't it the best to make things for your own little ones? Thanks for sharing. Your crafting is an inspiration. On days when I don't have time for my own projects (I have 3 children, age 3 and under), I love to pop in and see what you've been up to. Many thanks!

[amisha]

so sweet!! i agree that grownups would be very excited about them too :) i think that i prefer the cloud to the clown... clowns are a bit freaky to me.
xo

[jen]

yes. i recently purchased a beatrix potter book "peter rabbit goes to sea" (or something like that) - it was printed in the 1930's. i remember as a child there was something i didn't like about the story - parts of it scared me. after re-reading it as an adult, i now see why. i do love her style of drawings/paintings though.

Adorable scarf!!!!

[Mary]

What a lovely scarf - worn by a very pretty model! I love the quilt in your previous post. Is it made from Liberty fabric? Mary

[Taimarie]

Ha! Rain cloud! The scarf is so cute and your babe is just the sweetest. The velcro idea is a good one. I need to figure out something similar for securing a sunhat to a baby's head who also likes to silently dispose of clothing items!

[Mirre]

What a lady! Such a lovely scarf!

[Michelle]

Ah, the scarf is just adorable and she seems to love it too! Even better for the misheard instruction. Who else is going to have a rain cloud scarf, right? Didn't you think it was an odd thing to ask for though, LOL!