The Tale of Ginger and Pickles

Quick Answer

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

It’s cozy and funny with low stakes. The lesson is gentle: being kind is good, and clear boundaries help kindness last.

Story Synopsis

In a small village, Ginger (a cat) and Pickles (a terrier) open a little shop. Their windows look lovely, their goods are neatly arranged, and they truly want to serve their neighbors. But there’s a problem: Ginger and Pickles are too polite to say “No.” When customers ask to buy on credit—“I’ll pay you later”—they agree. Again and again. The village begins to treat the shop like a friendly pantry. Butter, sugar, tea, and candies disappear, while the payment never arrives. Soon the shop is in trouble. The shelves look bare, and Ginger and Pickles feel worried and embarrassed. They don’t want to stop being kind… but they also can’t keep giving everything away. As the story unfolds, the village shifts. Another shopkeeper with firmer rules appears, and Ginger and Pickles step back from running the store. It’s not a harsh ending—more a gentle re-balance. The tale leaves a sweet bedtime thought: kindness is best when it’s paired with honesty and healthy boundaries.

Story Excerpt

Once upon a time there was a little village shop with a neat sign over the window. The sign said : Ginger and Pickles. It was a small shop — just the right size for dolls. Lucinda and Jane Doll - cook often came there for groceries. Inside, the counter was a convenient height for rabbits, and the shelves were packed as full as they could be. Ginger and Pickles sold red, spotty pocket - handkerchiefs at a penny three farthings. They sold sugar, and snuff, and galoshes, too. In fact, for such a tiny shop, it sold nearly everything — except a few things you might want in a hurry, like bootlaces, hair - pins, and mutton chops. Ginger and Pickles were the ones who kept the shop. Ginger was a yellow tom - cat, and Pickles was a terrier. The rabbits who came to shop were always a little bit afraid of Pickles, because he had quick feet and a sharp bark. And the shop was also visited by mice — only the mice were rather afraid of Ginger, because Ginger’s eyes looked very bright when he watched them. Ginger usually asked Pickles to serve the mice. “ I cannot bear, ” said Ginger, “ to see them going out at the door carrying their little parcels. ” “ I have the same feeling about rats, ” replied Pickles, “ but it would never do to eat our own customers ; they would leave us and go to Tabitha Twitchit’s. ” “ On the contrary, they would go nowhere, ” replied Ginger gloomily. Tabitha Twitchit kept the only other shop in the village. She did not give…

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