The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Title: The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Author/Illustrator: Beatrix Potter

Publisher: Frederick Warner & Co.

Publication Year: 1902

Professional Source: Kent County Library

Genre (subcategory, if appropriate): Classic Fiction

Audience: Children

Awards: None

Critical response:

The Tale of Peter Rabbit is the story of a mischievous young rabbit named Peter as he explores Mr. McGregor’s garden.

Peter as a character is representative of the Sinful Child Model—a fact that is evident in the first few pages of the book. When his mother tells him to stay out of the garden, “Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor’s garden, and squeezed under the gate!” (18) At first, Peter has a good time in the garden, snacking on all sort of foods until his stomach was completely full. But soon enough he runs into Mr. McGregor and finds himself in a lot of trouble. Mr. McGregor chases Peter all over the garden, but Peter manages to escape. In the end, Peter’s three sisters, the ones that obeyed their mother, receive a tasty supper of milk and blackberries. Meanwhile Peter, the disobedient child, goes to bed sick with only a dose of tea. The message is not explicitly stated, but it is still made fairly clear: Obedient children will receive a reward for their goodness while disobedient children will have to face the consequences of their actions.

The story is told with very simple narration and the symmetrical illustrations that go along with it make it all more vibrant and pleasing to the reader. The pictures contain soft colors combined with a great deal of white space to reinforce the soft innocence of its main character while still highlighting the central focus of certain portions of the story.

The idea of talking animals that wear clothes and cook dinners appeals to children and awakens their imaginations while also appealing to adults. A child likely sees Peter Rabbit as soft and cuddly, while an adult sees him as nimble but weak. This choice of animal is perfect for this type of story because its readers, no matter how they view Peter, will want him to get out of the garden and reach home safe and sound. For parents especially this story is likely amusing because it reminds them of their own children, or perhaps of themselves when they were a child.

This is another quality aspect of Peter Rabbit: the character is highly relatable. For many people there is something enticing about forbidden things. People feel drawn to have and explore things that they are told they not allowed to.