Jerry Flack’s Children’s Book Reviews
Potter, Beatrix. Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales. London: Penguin Books, Ltd., 2002. First published by Frederick Warne, 1989.
In her lifetime, Beatrix Potter wrote 60 books. Her 23 tales are her most famous writings. The Tale of Peter Rabbit stands out as her first published tale and The Tailor of Gloucester is known to be her favorite of all her children’s stories.
Potter, Beatrix. The Tale of Peter Rabbit. London, F. Warne & Co., 1902.
Peter Rabbit is very likely the most famous rabbit in all of children’s literature. He is no doubt as famous today as he was well over a century ago when children first discovered his naughty behavior. Peter is one of four young rabbits and the only son of Mrs. Rabbit. His well-behaved sisters are Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail. On a lovely morning, Mrs. Rabbit encourages her children to play, but she warns them to avoid Mr. McGregor’s garden, where their father met with an unfortunate accident. He ended up in one of Mrs. McGregor’s pies. While his sisters dutifully follow their mother’s advice and pick blackberries for their supper, naughty Peter ignores his mother’s warning and enjoys himself with delights from Mr. McGregor’s garden. After discovery by the mean and speedy farmer, Peter may face the same fate as his father. Songbirds help Peter escape but without his beautiful blue suit and his slippers. By fate, Peter ends up back home, but he is sent to bed hungry and with only a cup of chamomile tea while his sisters enjoy a supper of milk and blackberries.
Beatrix Potter used anthropomorphism in her famous 23 animal tales, including imbuing her characters with human speech and clothing, but her drawings and paintings are never cartoonish in presentation. Her many years of drawing and painting, especially animals, make her illustrations both attractive and accurate right down to the whiskers on mice and the coats of fur on her bunnies. There are charming lessons found in her classic tales as well. Children learn NOT to imitate Peter Rabbit’s mischievous behavior.
Potter, Beatrix. The Tailor of Gloucester. F. Warne & Co., 1903.
The Tailor of Gloucester is widely recognized as her favorite tale. She based her story upon a real-life episode. She made significant changes, however. A hard-working but poor tailor is given a commission to make an elegant suit of clothing for the town’s wealthy and self-important mayor. Beatrix changes the time of the setting to Christmas Eve, a time known for ages to be the one time of the year when animals are gifted with human speech. It was a popular change. Her publisher, F. Warne & Co., quickly adopted the procedure of bringing out at least one of Potter’s children’s tales at Christmas time. They made perfect holiday gifts for young readers.
Exhausted, hungry, and dreadfully poor, the tailor cuts out the pattern for the elegant coat for his wealthy patron, but he is far too fatigued and starved to complete the job on Christmas Eve. In the place of his human assistants, kind, generous, and creative mice who live in the walls of the tailor’s shop work diligently to complete the great commission. Their work is magnificent, save for the one small piece of buttonhole that needs a tiny piece of twist to complete the splendid ensemble. Upon awakening on Christmas morning, the tailor finds the glorious garment and supplies the tiny piece of twist that makes the beautiful coat and vest complete and changes the fortune of the previously poor tailor forever. Unlike Peter, who behaves badly and nearly pays for the error of his ways, the mice exemplify loyalty, kindness, and creativity. In addition to being an extraordinarily gifted author-illustrator, Beatrix Potter was a masterful storyteller. Children adore her tales.
Home and School Activities
Illustrated Letters. Beatrix Potter’s former nanny, Annie Carter Moore, was the first person to suggest that she should write stories for children based on the illustrated letters that she had written to her own children. Peter Rabbit, based upon Beatrix’s own rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, was the first character she created in an illustrated letter that told a charming story she penned for Annie’s eldest son. Based upon diverse sources, such as stories of their own pets or favorite literary characters, encourage precocious readers to write illustrated letters that reveal delightful stories. Challenge young writers to use the anthropomorphism found in Beatrix Potter’s letters to children. That is, give human traits, speech, clothing, and behaviors to animals such as Peter Rabbit.
Mrs. Heelis Speaks. Later in her life Beatrix Potter-Heelis enjoyed showing her farms and countryside to groups of Girl Guides (Girl Scouts in the United States). She hoped to instill in young women the same sense of wonder she found in nature. Imagine a meeting the famed author-illustrator might have had with a small group of young people. Based on biographical information found in print and online, compose and share a warm and enlightened conversation starter about her agrarian life in England’s Lake District, especially Hill Top Farm. Students can then create questions about Beatrix Potter-Heelis’ life in rural areas in England and Scotland. In an informal dialogue, students can ask questions about her rural life. In turn, students can write replies that Mrs. Hellis might have used to teach young people about the vital importance of conservation and preservation of beautiful open spaces.
Storytelling. Invite students to imitate the genius of Beatrix Potter and write and tell a story about one or more animals that live in the countryside or even in a nearby city park. Note that Beatrix’s tales are brief and are illustrated mostly in watercolors. Any media is acceptable for students’ illustrated stories.
Compare and Contrast. Beatrix Potter wrote 60 books, but her most famous and well-known works are her 23 tales. Encourage readers to pick their own two favorite tales, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, and write a brief essay comparing and contrasting the two tales. What makes the tales special? Compare the behaviors of the main animal characters. What differences exist between the two tales examined?
Personal Journals. From at least the age of 14 years, Beatrix Potter kept a journal, written in a concealed code of her own devising. Although some critics argued that the code was simple, it was not until 1958 that the code was deciphered. Ask readers to begin an illustrated journal of unique events in their lives, their favorite books, life lessons learned, drawing practice, and accounts of the adventures with their own home or classroom pets. As a special challenge, encourage writers to encrypt their journal entries as Beatrix did.
Create a Beatrix Stamp or Coin. Based upon the many highlights of Beatrix Potter’s life in so many diverse areas, invite students to create a postage stamp (or postcard) or a coin that honors her remarkable life and/or characters.
Creative Dramatics. Two of the most famous men in the life of Beatrix Potter were her brother, Bertram Potter, and her husband, William Heelis. Improvise an imagined conversation between Beatrix Potter and one of these men. Two clues. Bertram urged his sister to publish her drawings and paintings, and her husband encouraged her interest in farming.
Woman of the Year. By the standards of any era, Helen Beatrix Potter-Heelis was a remarkable woman. Turn the clock back a century and encourage students to be editors of The London Times Person of the Year, circa 1925. In an editorial, urge writers to note her extraordinary life accomplishments. In what ways was she an exceptional person and a woman of great consequence? Encourage young journalists to include an online photograph of their subject or include their own drawing of this real-life heroine.
Dr. Jerry Flack is Professor Emeritus and President’s Teaching Scholar Emeritus at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Please see Dr. Jerry Flack's Children's Book Reviews of award-winning children’s books on our website. Each book has activities designed for home and school in order to to enrich the reading experience.