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Animated The Town Mouse And The County Mouse
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The Town Mouse And The Country Mouse Story

Oh that city life. Exciting. Fun. Full of indulgence and adventure. But does all of this come at a cost?

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The Town Mouse And The Country Mouse

Once upon a time a Town Mouse went off to the country to visit one of her relatives.

a dark brown mouse and a light brown mouse hold their hands out to each other while standing next to a large blade of grass

The Country Mouse was really thrilled to see her and at lunchtime she served up what she usually had, which was wheat stalks, grass seeds, roots and acorns, with a little drop of cold water to wash it all down. The Town Mouse didn’t eat very much, and just nibbled a little bit of her food. She pulled a face as she didn’t like the food at all but tried her best to be polite.

the dark brown mouse sits on top of a red toadstool with white spots

After the meal the two mice had a good old chat. Well, actually, the Town Mouse talked about what a wonderful life she had in the town while the Country Mouse just listened. That night they went off to bed in a cosy nest in the hedge and had a peaceful and snug sleep until early the next morning. The Country Mouse had dreamt all about the lovely life that her relative had told her about. When the Town Mouse asked the Country Mouse if she’d like to come back to the town with her, her little eyes sparkled and she said, “Oh, yes please!”

After a long journey on their little mousy legs they finally arrived at the big house where the Town Mouse lived. They were both very hungry so when they went into the grand dining room, they were delighted to find the leftovers of a feast on the table. There were jellies, cakes and delicious-looking cheeses, the sorts of foods that a country mouse can only dream about.

The Country Mouse picked up a lovely little bit of pastry in her paw and was about to take a bite when suddenly she heard a cat mewing and scratching at the door. The two little mice were very frightened and scampered off to a little hiding place, where they waited for a long time, hardly daring to breathe. 

The Town mouse peeped out and the cat had gone. But just as they were about to get back to the lovely food the cook came bursting in to clear the table. And right behind the cook was the House Dog. “Grrrrrrrrrr.”

The Country Mouse went straight to the Town Mouse's little den and quickly packed her little bag.

the light brown mouse looks hurried while running along holding a orange basket

"Sorry, but I’ve got to go! I haven’t got a big house to live in or all the delicious food you’ve got but I much prefer my simple, safe and peaceful country life.” And with that, she scampered off.

And the moral of the story is that it is sometimes better to live a safe and peaceful life than a life of luxury that might end in disaster.

The End

Can you read The Town Mouse And The Country Mouse story for free?

Yes! You can read this modern retelling for free. Our story retellings closely follow the original storylines and add modern twists in the illustrations.

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