The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher

Hello,

Hello.

My name is Jessica Amos and today I'm reading you the tale of Mr.

Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter.

I'm so happy to be here reading you this story.

So take your time,

Get settled in,

Get comfortable,

Get a blanket,

A pillow,

Favorite stuffed animals,

Cup of tea,

Whatever it is that just will feel most relaxing for you.

And just know that this book was written in 1906.

So the story is here,

This is a children's book written 120 years ago,

Which makes it such a fun story to read and the illustrations are wonderful.

So I'll show you the pictures as I read it to you.

Okay,

Kick back,

Relax,

And let's read this book.

The Tale of Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter.

Once upon a time there was a frog called Mr.

Jeremy Fisher.

He lived in a little damp house amongst the buttercups at the edge of a pond.

The water was all slippy sloppy in the larder and the back passage.

But Mr.

Jeremy liked getting his feet wet and nobody ever scolded him and he never caught cold.

He was quite pleased when he looked out and saw large drops of rain splashing in the pond.

It will get some worms and go fishing and catch a dish of minnows for my dinner,

Said Mr.

Jeremy Fisher.

If I catch more than five fish,

I will invite my friends,

Mr.

Alderman Plotmey and Tortoise and Sir Isaac Newton.

The alderman,

However,

Eats salad.

There he is.

Mr.

Jeremy put on a Macintosh and a pair of shiny galoshes.

He took his rod and basket and set off with enormous hops to the place where he kept his boat.

The boat was round and green and very like the other lily leaves.

He was tied to a water plant in the middle of the pond.

Mr.

Jeremy took a reed pole and pushed the boat out into open water.

I know a good place for minnows,

Said Mr.

Jeremy Fisher.

Mr.

Jeremy stuck his pole into the mud and fastened his boat to it.

Then he settled himself cross-legged and arranged his fishing tackle.

He had the dearest little red float.

His rod was a tough stalk of grass.

His line was a fine long white horse hair and he tied a little wiggling worm at the end.

The rain tickled down his back and for nearly an hour he stared at the float.

This is getting tiresome.

I think I should like some lunch,

Said Mr.

Jeremy Fisher.

He punted back again amongst the water plants and took some lunch out of his basket.

I will eat a butterfly sandwich and wait till the shower is over,

Said Mr.

Jeremy Fisher.

A great big water beetle came up underneath the lily,

Leafed and tweaked the toe of one of his big galoshes.

Mr.

Jeremy crossed his legs up shorter out of reach and went on eating his sandwich.

Once or twice something moved about with a rustle and a splash amongst the rushes at the side of the pond.

I trust that is not a rat,

Said Mr.

Jeremy Fisher.

I think I had better get away from here.

Mr.

Jeremy shoved the boat out again a little way and dropped in the bait.

There was a bite almost directly.

The float gave a tremendous bobbit.

A minnow!

A minnow!

I have him by the nose,

Cried Mr.

Jeremy Fisher,

Jerking up his rod.

He caught something.

But what a horrible surprise!

Instead of a smooth fat minnow,

Mr.

Jeremy landed little Jack Sharp,

The stickleback covered with spines.

The stickleback floundered about the boat pricking and snapping until he was quite out of breath.

Then he jumped back into the water.

Oh,

It looks like the stickleback is a fish.

And a shoal of other little fishes put their heads out and laughed at Mr.

Jeremy Fisher.

And while Mr.

Jeremy sat disconsolately on the edge of his boat,

Sucking his sore fingers and peering down into the water,

A much worse thing happened.

A really frightful thing it would have been if Mr.

Jeremy had not been wearing a Macintosh.

Do you know what a Macintosh is?

Let's find out.

A great,

Big,

Enormous trout came up,

Curve flop with a splash,

And it seized Mr.

Jeremy with a sharp,

Ow,

Ow,

Ow.

And then it turned and dived down into the bottom of the pond.

But the trout was so displeased with the taste of the Macintosh that in less than half a minute,

It spat him out again.

And the only thing it swallowed was Mr.

Jeremy's galoshes.

Fish tried to eat him.

Mr.

Jeremy bounced up to the surface of the water like a cork and the bubbles out of the soda,

Like a cork and the bubbles out of a soda water bottle.

And he swam with all his might to the edge of the pond.

He scrambled out of the fish bank he came to,

And he hopped home across the meadow with his Macintosh,

All in tatters.

What a mercy,

That was not a pike,

Said Mr.

Jeremy Fisher.

I have lost my rod and basket,

But it does not much matter,

For I am sure I should have been dared to go fishing again.

For I am sure I should never have dared to go fishing again.

He put some sticky plaster on his fingers,

And his friends both came to dinner.

He could not offer them fish,

But he had something else in his larder.

Sir Isaac Newton wore his black and gold waistcoat.

And here's his friends coming to visit.

It looks like Sir Isaac Newton is a newt,

And his other friend is a tortoise.

Oh,

How cute.

The end.

Or is it?

There's one more page!

And Mr.

Alderman Plot Me Tortoise brought a salad with him in a string bag,

And instead of a nice dish of minnows,

They had a roasted grasshopper with ladybird sauce,

Which frogs consider a beautiful treat,

But I think it must have been nasty.

Okay,

And that is actually the end of the book,

I think.

There it is.

Oh,

What a cute and funny and silly story,

The Tale of Mr.

Jeremy Fisher.

And again,

Do we know?

I think this jacket that he's wearing,

I think that's the Macintosh.

And these are his little galoshes,

But they honestly look like slippers to me.

So anyway,

So cute.

I don't know about you,

But I just love the idea of little animals dressed in clothes,

Going fishing and having little adventures.

Thank you so much for joining me as I read you this story and all of its silliness.

Until next time,

May you stay with yourself today and always.