The Tale of Mr. Tod

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The Tale of Mr. Tod is a book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It was first published in 1912.

Mr. Tod, a fox, and Tommy Brock, a badger, are both troublesome neighbours and "disagreeable people." Mr. Tod has a habit of taking up lodging in other people's houses. Mr. Brock visits a rabbit friend, who turns out to be Mr. Bouncer Bunny from The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, and then steals his son Benjamin Bunny's children with plans to cook and eat them. Mr. Tod however finds that Mr. Brock has taken up residence in one of his homes, and after many comical efforts to rouse him, they fight it out. Meanwhile, Benjamin and his cousin Peter have come to rescue Benjamin's children, and the fight gives them a chance to sneak off with the baby bunnies.

An animated adaptation of the story was featured on The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends in 1993.

[edit] Trivia

"Brock" and "tod" are northern English dialect words for "badger" and "fox" respectively. They are used in Lowland Scots as well.
The book is dedicated to Francis William Clark who owned Ulva, a small island off Mull, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. She was a relative of his, and visited the island occasionally. ^[1]