Top Shelf Books #13 – The Tale Of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

The next book to reach The Top Shelf is an undisputed children’s classic and indeed a book I’ve had since I was a child.

The Tale Of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, 1902

‘ONCE upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were⸻ Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter.’

I was fairly immersed in the world of Beatrix Potter in my pre-school days, mostly through television. We had the ballet The Tales of Beatrix Potter, the TV movies of The Tailor of Gloucester starring Ian Holm and The Tale of Little Pig Robinson starring Timothy Spall and the TV show The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends starring Niamh Cusack all recorded off the TV.

We also had a random handful of the actual books, mostly second-hand and covered in some random child’s scribble.

The Tale Of Peter Rabbit is the first of the series and was one of my favourites as a child.

It’s the story of a naughty rabbit who is told not to go into a man’s garden (because it is dangerous) but does anyway and just about escapes with his life.

FLOPSY, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, who were good little bunnies, went down the lane to gather blackberries : 

BUT Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor’s garden, and squeezed under the gate!

It is mostly the drawings that make these books so adorable. Peter Rabbit is probably the best of the series. Or at least, it was the best of the random selection we owned.

You can read my 4 star review on Goodreads here.

I only have two other Beatrix Potter books now, the ones I liked best of the random selection we owned when I was a kid:

The Tale Of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter, 1904

‘ONCE upon a time there was a very beautiful doll’s-house; it was red brick with white windows, and it had real muslin curtains and a front door and a chimney.’

This one is in very poor condition. The cover is missing and someone had to tip-ex out a child’s vandalism to the pages within.

It's about two mice who break into a doll’s house and steal the furniture. 

TOM THUMB and Hunca Munca went upstairs and peeped into the dining-room. Then they squeaked with joy!

Such a lovely dinner was laid out upon the table! There were tin spoons, and lead knives and forks, and two dolly-chairs⸻all so convenient!

I am very fond of this one, probably more than I was when I was a kid.

You can read my 4 star review on Goodreads here.

The only other Beatrix Potter I still own is

The Tale Of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter, 1906

‘ONCE upon a time there was a frog called Mr. Jeremy Fisher ; he lived in a little damp house amongst the buttercups at the edge of a pond.’

This was my undisputed favourite book as a little kid. It is much better condition than the other two, so I think I must have been given this one new, rather than picked up secondhand.

It is about a frog who goes fishing and nearly gets eaten himself.

THE boat was round and green, and very like the other lily-leaves. It was tied to a water-plant in the middle of the pond.

MR. JEREMY took a reed pole, and pushed the boat out into open water. “I know a good place for minnows,” said Mr. Jeremy Fisher.

MR. JEREMY stuck his pole into the mud and fastened his boat to it.

Then he settled himself cross-legged and arranged his fishing tackle. He had the dearest little red float. His rod was a tough stalk of grass, his line was a fine long white horse-hair, and he tied a little wriggling worm at the end.

This one is less interesting that the above two since there is less direction to the story but I guess it would be quite exciting for a kid – death-defying. I think it is difficult for it to live up to the hype of me knowing that I apparently loved it so much as an infant. Unfortunately with both Jeremy Fisher and Two Bad Mice, I think I remember the ballet adaptations better than the actual books.

You can read my 4 star review on Goodreads here.