The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Bibliography:
Potter, Beatrix. 1902. THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT. Ill. by Beatrix Potter. London, England: Frederick Warne & Co. ISBN 0-916410-24-2.

Plot Summary:
In this classic tale, Beatrix Potter uses a family of rabbits to illustrate the perils of young children not listening to the warnings of parents. The mischievous Peter is warned (along with his 3 sisters) not to go into Mr. McGregor's garden, where his father met an untimely fate. Peter, being quite the daredevil, decides to make his way into the garden and feast on some of Mr. McGregor's vegetables. He gets caught and spends most of the book trying to avoid the fate of the farmer's rake. In the process, a valuable lesson is learned.

Critical Analysis:
Beatrix Potter lived and wrote in an age of simplicity, yet she had the gift to take that simplicity and turn it into stories with invaluable morals and the ability to hold the interest of many reading levels. The fact that Peter's father's fate did not play a role in his decisions was a display of the childlike innocence of the character. We find at the end of the story that Peter's clothing (which were left in the garden) was the second set of clothing that had been lost by the little rabbit within a two-week time period. This leads the reader to believe that, though he was very scared and almost had his short life ended in the course of his adventures that day, these were not the first dangerous adventures that had taken place in the furry creatures life. This leads the adult reader to wonder if Peter will ever truly learn his lesson.
The illustrations in this book were also done by Beatrix Potter. The drawing accompany her classic word choice and writing style very well. At first glance, the illustrations seem to reflect the simplicity of the era. However, upon further examination one can see that these drawings were not quick or simple to complete. On the first few pages, upon which the rabbit family is introduced, no one color stands out any more prominently than the others. Peter's blue clothing matches his mother's. As the story is being told, both through words and pictures, Peter's clothing is the only place in which the color blue is seen. This leaves the reader with a clue that the clothing will play a role (though small) in the story. The use of the same color palate on each page can be deceivingly unassuming, but the placement of the colors seem to aid in the telling of this story.
Children of all ages can relate to this story, as can adults. Through the eyes of an adult, one wonders what would even tempt this rabbit to sneak into a garden in which he may be killed as his father was. When seen through the eyes of a child, it is evident that the temptation of delicious snacks (vegetables to rabbits, candy to kids) are worth whatever trouble may lie ahead. Children do not see themselves as mortal, and this story is a great example of that well-known fact.

Excerpt Review:
School Library Journal - #29 on Top 100 Picture Books Poll
- #2 Best-selling Book of All Time
Book List - "A timeless book. Your child will be fretful of poor Peter as he struggles to get away from Mr. McGregor and might even learn a lesson about listening to grown-ups."

Connections:
Every adult can remember a time when he/ she felt immortal, like Peter seems to feel in this story. This is a classic tale with a timeless moral for children - do what your parents tell you to or suffer the consequences. Thankfully for Peter, his consequence was merely missing a supper of delicious blackberries. This can be related to almost any situation in which a child may find himself. Other books written by Beatrix Potter include THE TALE OF SQUIRREL NUTKIN, THE TALE OF LITTLE PIG ROBINSON, and THE TALE OF BENJAMIN BUNNY, in which Peter Rabbit returns to Mr. McGregor's garden.