The Tale of Tom Kitten was published by Frederick Warne & Co. in September 1907. Tabitha Twitchit dresses her three kittens — Tom, Moppet, and Mittens — in their best clothes for the arrival of friends to tea. The kittens, being kittens, immediately lose their clothing: buttons pop, trousers fall down, and the Puddle-ducks (Jemima’s relatives) appropriate every garment. Tabitha is mortified, sends the kittens upstairs, tells her guests they are in bed with measles, and the kittens proceed to cause chaos in the bedroom.
The comedy is universal: the impossibility of keeping children (or animals) presentable, the gap between the adult desire for order and the child’s natural entropy. The illustrations of the kittens struggling out of their clothes — Tom Kitten’s belly bursting his buttons — are among Potter’s funniest.
Hill Top
The garden and the house in the illustrations are Hill Top Farm, Potter’s property in Near Sawrey that she had recently purchased and which became the setting for many subsequent tales. The garden wall, the path, the front door are all accurately rendered from life.
Collecting The Tale of Tom Kitten
First edition (Frederick Warne & Co., London, 1907): Gray-green boards with mounted color illustration.
Approximate market values:
- Fine: $2,000–$5,000
- Very good: $800–$2,000
Projected values (2026–2036): Steady appreciation. Potter first editions are blue-chip children’s book collectibles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a companion to The Tale of Samuel Whiskers? Yes. The characters recur, and the kittens’ misbehaviour in the attic is continued in Samuel Whiskers (1908).