Page "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" Paragraph 3

Peter Rabbit, and his sisters Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, were based on Beatrix's childhood pets.

The rabbits dress in human clothing and generally walk upright on their hind legs, though they live in a rabbit hole under a fir-tree.

Mother Rabbit has forbidden her children to enter the garden of Mr. McGregor: it was there that their father met his untimely end and became the ingredient of a pie.

However, while Mrs. Rabbit is shopping and the girls are collecting blackberries, Peter sneaks into the garden.

There, he gorges on vegetables until he gets sick, and is then chased about by Mr. McGregor.

When Peter loses his jacket and his shoes, Mr. McGregor uses them to dress a scarecrow.

After several close encounters with Mr. McGregor, Peter escapes the garden and returns to his mother exhausted and ill. She puts him to bed with a dose of chamomile tea while his sisters enjoy bread, milk, and blackberries for supper.

In the sequel, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, Peter returns to McGregor's garden with his cousin Benjamin to retrieve his lost clothes.