The Cat And The Mouse
by Joseph Jacobs
The Mouse's Tail
One day, Cat and Mouse played. They were in a big red barn. They were good friends.
But then Cat was naughty. Cat snipped off Mouse's tail! Mouse was very sad.
"Please give me my tail back," Mouse said.
"No," said Cat. "I want milk. Bring me milk first. Then you get your tail."
So Mouse ran and ran to Cow.
"Please give me milk," Mouse said. "I need it for Cat."
"No," said Cow. "Bring me hay first. Then you get milk."
So Mouse ran and ran to Farmer.
"Please give me hay," Mouse said. "I need it for Cow."
"No," said Farmer. "Bring me meat first. Then you get hay."
So Mouse ran and ran to Butcher.
"Please give me meat," Mouse said. "I need it for Farmer."
"No," said Butcher. "Bring me bread first. Then you get meat."
So Mouse ran and ran to Baker.
"Please give me bread," Mouse said. "I need it for Butcher."
Baker was kind. Baker smiled.
"Here is your bread, little Mouse. Do not drop it!"
"Thank you!" said Mouse.
Mouse gave Butcher the bread. Butcher gave Mouse the meat.
Mouse gave Farmer the meat. Farmer gave Mouse the hay.
Mouse gave Cow the hay. Cow gave Mouse the milk.
Mouse ran and ran back to Cat.
"Here is your milk!" said Mouse.
Cat drank the milk. Then Cat gave Mouse her tail back.
"I am sorry," said Cat. "I was naughty."
Mouse got her tail back. Mouse was so happy!
And little Mouse had a tail again!
---
`★ Insight ─────────────────────────────────────` **Chain tale form**: This is a "chain tale." Each person asks for something. This builds a chain. Mouse then goes back. It uses ~80 simple A1 words. The repeating line makes a beat. It helps kids guess what's next. Guessing helps kids learn to read.
**Moral through action**: The plan says: skip the moral. Helping shows up in the chain. Every person helps in the end. Cat says sorry at the close. Actions show good ways to act. `─────────────────────────────────────────────────`
Original Story
THE CAT AND THE MOUSE The cat and the mouse Play'd in the malt-house: The cat bit the mouse's tail off. “Pray, puss, give me my tail.” “No,” says the cat, “I'll not give you your tail, till you go to the cow, and fetch me some milk.” First she leapt and then she ran, Till she came to the cow, and thus began: “Pray, Cow, give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again.” “No,” said the cow, “I will give you no milk, till you go to the farmer, and get me some hay.” First she leapt, and then she ran, Till she came to the farmer and thus began: “Pray, Farmer, give me hay, that I may give cow hay, that cow may give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again.” “No,” says the farmer, “I'll give you no hay, till you go to the butcher and fetch me some meat.” First she leapt, and then she ran, Till she came to the butcher, and thus began: “Pray, Butcher, give me meat, that I may give farmer meat, that farmer may give me hay, that I may give cow hay, that cow may give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again.” “No,” says the butcher, “I'll give you no meat, till you go to the baker and fetch me some bread.” First she leapt and then she ran, Till she came to the baker, and thus began: “Pray, Baker, give me bread, that I may give butcher bread, that butcher may give me meat, that I may give farmer meat, that farmer may give me hay, that I may give cow hay, that cow may give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again.” “Yes,” says the baker, “I'll give you some bread, But if you eat my meal, I'll cut off your head.” Then the baker gave mouse bread, and mouse gave butcher bread, and butcher gave mouse meat, and mouse gave farmer meat, and farmer gave mouse hay, and mouse gave cow hay, and cow gave mouse milk, and mouse gave cat milk, and cat gave mouse her own tail again!
Moral of the Story
Cooperation and fulfilling one's part of a bargain can lead to a just resolution.
Characters
The Mouse ★ protagonist
Small, grey or brown fur, initially with a tail, later without until retrieved
Persistent, determined, resourceful
The Cat ⚔ antagonist
Feline, likely domestic cat size, with sharp teeth
Demanding, mischievous, manipulative
The Cow ◆ supporting
Large bovine, likely black and white or brown, with udders
Conditional, practical
The Farmer ◆ supporting
Likely a sturdy, working-class man
Attire: Simple, practical farming attire (e.g., overalls, work shirt, boots)
Conditional, industrious
The Butcher ◆ supporting
Likely a strong, robust man
Attire: Butcher's apron, possibly a striped shirt, holding a cleaver
Conditional, business-minded
The Baker ◆ supporting
Likely a flour-dusted, perhaps portly, man
Attire: White baker's apron, white shirt, baker's hat
Conditional, cautious, slightly menacing
Locations
The Malt-house
A building where malt is made, likely dusty and filled with sacks or machinery related to grain processing.
Mood: Initially playful, then tense and urgent due to the cat's action.
The cat bites off the mouse's tail, initiating the quest.
The Farm
An open area where a cow grazes and a farmer works, likely featuring fields and farm buildings.
Mood: Busy, agricultural, with a sense of daily routine.
The mouse seeks milk from the cow and hay from the farmer.
The Butcher's Shop
A shop where meat is sold, likely with cuts of meat displayed and a butcher working.
Mood: Practical, business-like, potentially a bit grim.
The mouse requests meat from the butcher.
The Baker's Shop
A shop where bread is baked and sold, filled with the aroma of fresh bread.
Mood: Warm, inviting, but with a hint of underlying threat from the baker's warning.
The mouse requests bread from the baker, and the chain of exchanges begins to resolve.
Story DNA
Moral
Cooperation and fulfilling one's part of a bargain can lead to a just resolution.
Plot Summary
A cat bites off a mouse's tail and refuses to return it until the mouse brings it milk. This initiates a long chain of requests, as the cow demands hay from the farmer, the farmer demands meat from the butcher, and the butcher demands bread from the baker. Once the baker provides bread, the mouse successfully completes the reverse chain of transactions, eventually bringing milk to the cat, who then returns the mouse's tail.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Joseph Jacobs was a prominent collector of English fairy tales, often adapting them from older oral traditions or printed sources.
Plot Beats (14)
- A cat and mouse are playing in a malt-house.
- The cat bites off the mouse's tail.
- The mouse asks the cat for its tail back.
- The cat refuses, demanding milk from the cow first.
- The mouse goes to the cow, who demands hay from the farmer.
- The mouse goes to the farmer, who demands meat from the butcher.
- The mouse goes to the butcher, who demands bread from the baker.
- The mouse asks the baker for bread, who agrees with a warning.
- The baker gives the mouse bread.
- The mouse gives the butcher bread, who gives the mouse meat.
- The mouse gives the farmer meat, who gives the mouse hay.
- The mouse gives the cow hay, who gives the mouse milk.
- The mouse gives the cat milk.
- The cat returns the mouse's tail.
