Benjamin Bunny is a little rabbit. One day, he and his cousin Peter Rabbit go to Mr. McGregor's garden. Peter lost his clothes there in another story, and Benjamin wants to help get them back. But the garden is full of danger-a big cat is there!
In this simple A1 English story, you will follow their adventure. You can click on any word to see its meaning and hear it spoken. Listen to the full story with our audio version. After reading, check the lesson notes for grammar and vocabulary help. It's a free, fun way to learn English!
One morning, Benjamin Bunny sat under a big tree.
He saw his Peter Rabbit.
Peter looked .
Benjamin asked, "What ?"
Peter said, "I my blue and shoes in Mr. McGregor's ."
" go and get them," said Benjamin.
They went to the garden.
The garden had many green .
There were and .
They found the coat and shoes under a tree.
But a big cat sat near the tree.
The cat looked at them.
"Run!" said Benjamin.
They under a big .
The basket was .
The cat sat on the basket!
Peter and Benjamin were very .
They waited and waited.
Then Benjamin's father came.
He saw the cat and .
He the basket.
"Thank you, Father!" said Benjamin.
Peter his coat and shoes.
They all went home.
They ate lettuce.
It was a day.
Benjamin Bunny sat under a big tree one morning.
He saw his cousin Peter Rabbit.
Peter looked sad.
Benjamin asked, "What happened?"
Peter said, "I lost my blue coat and shoes in Mr. McGregor's garden."
"Let's go get them," said Benjamin.
They went to the garden.
The garden had many green plants.
There were lettuces and onions.
They found the coat and shoes under a tree.
But a big cat sat near the tree.
The cat looked at them.
"Run!" said Benjamin.
They hid under a big basket.
The basket was heavy.
The cat sat on the basket!
Peter and Benjamin were very quiet.
They waited and waited.
Then Benjamin's father came.
He saw the cat and chased it away.
He lifted the basket.
"Thank you, Father!" said Benjamin.
Peter put on his coat and shoes.
They all went home.
They ate fresh lettuce.
It was a happy day.
The story of Benjamin Bunny uses the simple past tense. This tense tells us about actions that are finished. For example, 'Benjamin sat under a tree' tells us about one morning in the past.
- Regular verbs: look → looked, wait → waited, chase → chased
- Irregular verbs: sit → sat, see → saw, go → went, hide → hid, find → found
Let's learn some words from the story. These are things you can touch and see in a garden.
- coat - a jacket you wear outside
- shoes - things on your feet
- garden - a place with flowers, plants, vegetables
- basket - a container for carrying things
To ask about the past, we use 'did'. Look at the question from the story: 'What happened?' We can also ask: 'Did Benjamin see the cat?' The answer can be: 'Yes, he did.' or 'No, he didn't.'
- Did + subject + verb (base form): Did you go to the garden?
- You didn't see the cat. = You did not see the cat.
- Try to ask: Did they hide? Did Benjamin's father come?
Now you know many simple past verbs. Can you tell the story of Benjamin and Peter? Try to use the words from the story. You can also tell a friend about a fun day you had.
- Start with: One day, I...
- Use past verbs: went, saw, ate, played, etc.
- Draw a picture and describe it!
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny comes from an older public-domain story tradition and is best known as a public_domain_children_story_retelling. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on public-domain source material, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. This version is adapted for A1 Beginner learners studying English.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A1 English Vocabulary List. After that, try English Question Words for another useful next step.
