The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle

Quick Answer

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

It’s calm and domestic, with cozy details—soap, baskets, warm tea. The ‘mystery’ is light, and the ending feels like being tucked into a clean, safe world.

Story Synopsis

Lucie is a neat little girl who loves her pocket handkerchiefs. When some go missing, she feels bothered and determined to solve the mystery. She looks around the countryside asking polite questions, but no one seems to know. Then Lucie meets a curious, hardworking creature: Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, a hedgehog dressed like a washerwoman. Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle invites Lucie to her home—a snug place where little clothes are sorted, scrubbed, and hung to dry. Inside, Lucie sees tiny garments for animals: aprons, pinafores, stockings. The washing is busy but not frantic; it has the steady comfort of routine. Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle is kind, practical, and proud of her work. She offers Lucie a small hospitality—something warm to drink—while they talk. When the laundry is done, Lucie returns home with her clean handkerchiefs (and a new sense that the world holds hidden helpers). Later, her mother wonders where the items came from, as if it might have been a dream. The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle is one of Beatrix Potter’s coziest stories: a gentle mystery that ends with clean cloth, warm tea, and the comforting idea that someone, somewhere, is quietly taking care of things.

Story Excerpt

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Lucie who lived at a farm called Little - town. She was a good little girl, but she had one problem — she was always losing her pocket - handkerchiefs! One day, little Lucie came into the farmyard crying. Oh, she did cry so! " I've lost my pocket - handkerchief! Three handkerchiefs and a pinafore! Have you seen them, Tabby Kitten? " The kitten went on washing her white paws and didn't answer. So Lucie asked a speckled hen. " Sally Henny - Penny, have you found three pocket - handkerchiefs? " But the speckled hen ran into the barn, clucking, " I go barefoot, barefoot, barefoot! " Then Lucie asked Cock Robin, who was sitting on a twig. Cock Robin looked sideways at Lucie with his bright black eye, and then he flew over a fence and away. Lucie climbed up onto the fence and looked at the hill behind Little - town. It was a tall hill that went up and up into the clouds, as though it had no top at all. Far up the hillside, she thought she saw some white things spread upon the grass. Lucie scrambled up the hill as fast as her legs would carry her. She ran along a steep pathway, up and up, until Little - town was right away down below. She could have dropped a pebble down the chimney! Presently she came to a spring bubbling out from the hillside. Someone had placed a tiny tin can upon a stone to catch the water, but the water was already running over, for the can was no bigger than an eggcup! And where the…

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