The Tailor of Gloucester

Beatrix Potter's classic Christmas tale, her personal favorite of all her books.

A poor tailor is too ill to finish the beautiful coat and waistcoat he has been stitching for the mayor of Gloucester to wear at his wedding on Christmas morning. He sends his cat, Simpkin, out in the snowy evening to buy some food and, most importantly, the cherry-colored silk he needs to finish his coat and waistcoat. While Simpkin is out, the tailor discovers all the mice Simpkin has hidden under the teacups and accidentally frees them all. They run out of the house, but not before they overhear him speak aloud his fears that he will not be able to complete his work in time for the mayor's wedding. As the tailor goes to bed with a fever and Simpkin returns to find not one mouse waiting for him under any teacup, the helpful and mischievous mice get to work. What are the mice up to? Will the tailor deliver the finished coat and waistcoat to the mayor by Christmas morning?