THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT BY BEATRIX POTTER

Every book that is featured on this site is one that the children love. And, more often than not, it's one that we can almost recite because it has been read so many times. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter is one of these books.

This almost wasn't the case though. We received the series as a gift for our son, and he never showed any interest in them. I thought it was perhaps because the stories were too old and didn't translate to modern-day life. But one day our three-year-old daughter picked one up off the shelf, probably lured by the illustration of the rabbit, and asked to be read the story.

It is on rotation as one of her top three books. (At the moment the other two are The Cat in the Hat and Sippy & Sunny.)

Similarly to the origins of Sippy & Sunny, Beatrix Potter created the story for a particular child. Her muse was the eldest son of her former Governess. She wrote it as a note to him and went on to publish it for friends and family until it was rewritten and accepted for publication in 1902. 

Peter Rabbit introduces us to four little rabbits: Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter, who was "very naughty". The story follows his misadventures after ignoring his mother's instructions to not get into any mischief while she heads out to do some shopping. 

It is quite a long read for a three-year-old but it seems to hold her attention, especially as there is an illustration on every page.

We also read The Tale of Benjamin Bunny sometimes but the story takes longer to get going, and even when it does, it still isn't as engrossing as Peter Rabbit. We have only managed to finish this a few times before she has lost interest.

However, The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies, another from the series, is often requested - more than Benjamin Bunny. While it has many long words, such as soporific and improvident, which slow down the read, she does engage with the story, asking questions and making comments about the action. 

Peter Rabbit seems to hold her interest the most, though. On every page there is a new twist or turn, until he manages to return back home.

We have yet to read The Tale of Tom Kitten, which is also part of our collection.

As a side note, the book pictured above was at the holiday house where we stayed over summer. Even though there were shelves full of other children's books, she wanted to read this story again. Here is a link for The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit. 

images the indigo crew