The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Title: The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Author: Beatrix Potter

Publisher: London: Warne, 2002

ISBN: 978-0-7232-4770-8

Plot Summary: 

Peter’s mother needs to run some errands. She leaves her four children at home with a warning not to go to Mr. McGregor’s garden. Peter’s sisters are well-behaved and find something useful and safe to do while mother is away. Peter, a very naughty bunny, immediately heads to Mr. McGregor’s vegetables. He gorges himself and then has a run in with Mr. McGregor, who is none too happy to have a rabbit in his vegetables. Peter goes on the run, gets trapped, escapes, gets lost, and finally makes it home. He is so worn out from his adventure that he falls right to sleep without eating supper.

Critical Analysis:  The Tale of Peter Rabbit was first published in 1902 and is considered to be the first “perfect” picture book. It is the ideal mix of text and illustration, each offering just enough to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.  The whole is a children’s book clearly and beautifully crafted for the young reader. The choice of a bunny for the main character is the first proof of the intended audience. A bunny is appealing to children because it share the same small size and vulnerability as a child.   As for the plot, it boils down to essentially a game of “chase”.  Children almost universally love to play “chase” and Peter’s escapade may be seen as an elaborate game.  The plot as a game of chase is reinforced by the lack of any enduring consequences for Peter’s disobedience. In other words, he got away with it. A delightful concept for a child—hopefully a concept most children rarely experience.

Beatrix Potter wastes no words on descriptions. Her text is forthright, never condescending, and strictly narrative. The only word our protagonist utters is a sneeze—“Kertyschoo!” When divorced from the illustrations the characters become flat. The mother is matter-of-fact and almost comes off as uncaring because she leaves her children unattended for the day and seems to have a minimum of concern as to what Peter’s been up to, especially considering she knows that he is a “naughty” bunny. Peter’s sisters get little more treatment than names and the description of “good little bunnies”. Mr. McGregor is the monster whose only role is to imperil Peter. Peter is concretely described as a “very naughty” bunny and his motivation is no greater than to break the rules and fill his tummy with Mr. McGregor’s vegetables. If the illustrations are separated from the text the story becomes choppy, jumping from one scene to another with minimal continuity.

Together the illustrations and text create a rural world where bunnies wear clothes and farmers aren’t surprised by it. The illustrations greatly expand the text. We learn the time period from the mother’s dress, apron, and mob cap. The rural setting is fleshed out with texture and detail. Peter Rabbit gains sympathy because you can see the little tears dripping down his face when he is frightened and alone. The pictures expand the immersion of the child into the story. In a sense this is the first seek-and-find picture book—a child can look for Peter’s shoes as he loses them, or his ears revealing his hiding place in the watering can as Mr. McGregor pursues the little rabbit. Another source of fun is looking for Peter’s sisters in the scenes set at their fir tree home; they are often obscured in the background.

The single picture per page spread drew attention to the delicate details of Potter’s marvelous watercolors. I saw miniature paintings, each worthy of being framed and hung on a wall—pictures I would not tire seeing because of their natural detail and pleasing color palette.  Potter’s talent as a nature artist is abundantly clear. Watercolors are rarely vibrant and the feathering of edges into the surrounding white space further softens the illustration.  The juxtaposition of the unrelenting hardness of nature with a glowing, gentle media is interesting. 

The pacing of the work was excellent. It’s not a page-turner, perhaps because Peter Rabbit has been around long enough to be in the collective memory of our culture. We know he doesn’t die, so there is no heightened tension. However, the action of turning a page between each scene gave the tale a passage of time.

From the universality of a “chase” based plot to the perfect marriage of text and illustration, The Tale of Peter Rabbit earns its stellar reputation.

Awards: This classic tale was published before major literary awards for children’s literature were established.

Additional Review:

Scholastic: “Since it was first published in 1902, Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit has become one of the undisputed classics of children’s literature—so classic, in fact, that generations of children have grown up thinking of it as a traditional folktale. But the exciting story of the mischievous rabbit and Mr. McGregor is very much an original, and part of the genius of Potter’s invention is that her combination of words and pictures can seem new and familiar at the same time.”

 Food for Thought:

 In the century plus that has followed its publication the tale has been dissected in a plethora of ways, each examiner looking for that fresh perspective, an original thread to follow. If you were looking for hidden meanings, what direction would you take? For example, how does the loss of Peter’s clothes illuminate his descent from a confident rascal to a weeping wreak?

An AHA! Moment:

 I had a powerful experience regarding the importance of the format of the book. Initially I read this story as part of a Beatrix Potter collection. In order to put as many stories in the volume as possible, each page had several illustrations and paragraphs. It was boring; I found myself skipping sections just to get through it. I thought to myself, “There is NO way this book could have such a profound impact on the world in this format.” I took myself to Barnes & Noble and purchased a reproduction of the original. It made all the difference.

Review created for course LS 5603 20-21 at Texas Woman’s University