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Treasury of Classic Children's Stories |
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The Library:
STORIES Alice in Wonderland Anne of Green Gables The Book of Nonsense Bunnicula Caddie Woodlawn The Cat in the Hat Catherine, Called Birdy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Charlotte's Web The Chronicles of Narnia Goodnight Moon The Great Brain Harry Potter... Little House on the Prairie One-Eyed Cat Peter Pan Redwall  The Secret Garden/A Little Princess Tales of Peter Rabbit Watership Down The Wind in the Willows Where the Sidewalk Ends Where the Wild Things Are Winnie the Pooh The Wonderful Wizard of Oz A Wrinkle in Time AUTHORS Richard Adams J.M. Barrie L. Frank Baum Carol Ryrie Brink Margaret Wise Brown Frances Hodgeson Burnett Lewis Carroll Karen Cushman Roald Dahl John D. Fitzgerald Paula Fox Kenneth Grahame James Howe Brian Jacques Edward Lear Madeleine L'Engle C.S. Lewis A.A. Milne Lucy Maud Montgomery Beatrix Potter J.K. Rowling Maurice Sendak Dr. Seuss Shel Silverstein E.B. White Laura Ingalls Wilder Timeline Return to Home Sign Guestbook View Guestbook |
Tales of Peter RabbitWritten and Illustrated by Beatrix Potter"'Now my dears,' said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, 'you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden...'" Like Winnie the Pooh, the stories of Peter, Benjamin, Flopsy, Mopsy, Jemima, Miss Moppet and their friends are enjoying a resurrgance of popularity. The beauty of the watercolors and the delightful stories are being introduced to a new generation of children while toys, books and other items are being repackaged into collectors' items. The stories are brilliantly produced so that they can be read seperately or can play off each other. They are short, sweet, and engaging; and while they reflect the early 20th century in tone and look, the lessons within are timeless. 
The Story: The stories, 23 in all, involve animals such as Benjamin Bunny and Jemima Puddle-duck in little tales with moral lessons. The most famousof these is The Tale of Peter Rabbit, a story about a bad little bunny who keeps getting into Mr. McGregor's garden and nearly escapes with his life. Other tales are that of Squirrel Nutkin, who liked to make up rhymes; Mr. Jeremy Fisher, who caught a "stickley" surprise; and Tom Kitten, whose clothes didn't quite fit. Mr. Gregor is a recurring character in the books, and the animals themselves grow up and make reappearances. They talk, work, dress, and play like humans, but their personality and character is all animal. The edition pictured above has all 23 little tales, as well as Potter's other works like nursery rhymes and fables. 
The Author: Born in 1866, Potter led the typical English Victorian childhood life of tutors, governesses, and loneliness. Her playthings were the pet animals, prime inspirations for her later stories. She had some success with greeting cards early in her career; The Tale of Peter Rabbit was born as a letter to the son of her former governess. She had such fun with that letter that she expanded it into a picture book, and by 1902 it was published. Her pets continued to be an inspiration to her, and the stories are often dedicated to them or in their memory. She continued to crank out other stories until 1910, when the fast pace slowed as she retired to a farm in the village of Sawrey. In 1913 she married William Heelis, settled on her farm, and spent the last 30 years of her life sheep-breeding and conserving the Lakeland countryside. She died in 1943 at the age of 77. "...the prettiest kind of garden, where bright old-fashioned flowers grow amongst the currant bushes."—Potter describing her aunt and uncle's garden at their house in Wales, 1909. Books by Beatrix Potter:
Previously unpublished Works:
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This page copyright 1998 by Kerri DeVault. Comments? Click here.
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