Dear Peter Rabbit [Hardcover]

Alma Flor Ada (Author), Leslie Tryon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1994 | Age Level: 5 and up

When Peter Rabbit is invited to a housewarming party by one of the Three Little Pigs, a behind-the-scenes adventure begins to unfold. This collection of previously unseen letters from the land of make-believe offers us a rare and fresh glimpse into the lives of well-loved characters. Along the way, Goldilocks makes a much happier return visit to the Bears' house, finds Peter Rabbit's lost jacket, and befriends Little Red Riding Hood. This delightful tale of interconnecting friendships, written by Alma Flor Ada and enhanced by Leslie Tryon's detailed and engaging pictures, is sure to warm the hearts of young and old alike.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Reminiscent of Janet and Allan Ahlberg's hugely successful The Jolly Postman , this clever picture book creates a fictitious flurry of correspondence between such familiar characters as Goldilocks (here given the surname McGregor, with a wink and a nod to Beatrix Potter), the Three Pigs, Baby Bear, Red Riding Hood and Peter Rabbit. As the plot thickens (will Goldilocks make a return visit to the Bears' house? Will Peter Rabbit be well enough to attend the Three Pigs' housewarming party?), Ada inventively weaves together the criss-crossing letters, neatly tying up the loose ends with a finale wherein the entire assembly (except for the now-tailless wolf) shows up for Goldilocks's birthday party. Ada clearly had fun extrapolating the characters' private lives, and her sunny treatment finds ready companionship in Tryon's delicately colored, lovingly detailed pen-and-ink and watercolor art. A Spanish edition, Querido Pedrin , is being issued simultaneously. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-A series of lively letters penned by beloved storybook characters tells an entertaining and imaginative tale. As the Big Bad Wolf lurks just out of sight, Pig One writes to Peter Rabbit, inviting him to a housewarming party at his newly built straw house. Meanwhile, Baby Bear sends Goldilocks a note asking her to visit, admonishing her to "knock on the door first before you come in." In reply, Goldilocks McGregor writes about vegetables missing from the garden and the "tiny jacket" and "tiniest pair of shoes" found by her father. Peter sends his regrets to Pig One; he caught cold while hiding from Mr. McGregor in a "half-full" watering can. Not to worry, due to uncontrollable circumstances the party will take place at Stick House at a later date. The chatty correspondence continues, culminating in a birthday party that brings the characters face to face. Carefully weaving together the lives of these literary favorites into a seamless plot, Ada uses familiar elements to create a convincing and intriguing make-believe world. In addition to being fun to read, the letters move events along quickly and create a unique voice for each author. Tyron's inviting illustrations, rendered in pen and ink with watercolors, add both detail and dimension. Whether author or recipient is depicted, the pictures include and expand on the contents of each letter. Drawings of Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor are appropriately reminiscent of Beatrix Potter's originals. Children will be enchanted by this opportunity to meet familiar faces in new settings.
Joy Fleishhacker, New York Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689318502
• ISBN-13: 978-0689318504
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,241,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alma Flor Ada, Pro­fes­sor Emerita at the Uni­ver­sity of San Fran­cisco, has devoted her life to advo­cacy for peace by pro­mot­ing a ped­a­gogy ori­ented to per­sonal real­iza­tion and social jus­tice. A for­mer Rad­cliffe Scholar at Har­vard Uni­ver­sity and Ful­bright Research Scholar she is an inter­na­tion­ally re-known speaker and the author of numer­ous children's books of poetry, nar­ra­tive, folk­lore and non fic­tion. Her books have received pres­ti­gious awards; among many: Christo­pher Medal (The Gold Coin), Pura Bel­pré Medal (Under the Royal Palms), Once Upon a World (Gath­er­ing the Sun), Par­ents' Choice Honor (Dear Peter Rab­bit), NCSS and CBC Notable Book (My Name is María Isabel). She is also the author of a book of mem­oirs, Vivir en dos idiomas, two nov­els for adults, En clave de sol and A pesar del amor, and sev­eral pro­fes­sional books for edu­ca­tors, includ­ing A Mag­i­cal Encounter: Latino Children's Lit­er­a­ture in the Class­room, as well as a wealth of edu­ca­tional mate­ri­als. Her work, in col­lab­o­ra­tion with F. Isabel Cam­poy in pro­mot­ing author­ship in stu­dents, teach­ers, and par­ents is the con­tent of their book Authors in the Class­room: A Trans­for­ma­tive Edu­ca­tion Process. Alma Flor Ada has been awarded the Amer­i­can Edu­ca­tion Research Asso­ci­a­tion [AERA] His­panic Issues Award for Research in Ele­men­tary, Sec­ondary and Post­sec­ondary Edu­ca­tion and the Cal­i­for­nia Asso­ci­a­tion for Bilin­gual Edu­ca­tion [CABE] Life Long Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dear Peter Rabbit, April 14, 2000

By 

janis madsen (San Joaquin Valley, California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dear Peter Rabbit (Paperback)

This book unites many favorite fairytale characters. The story is told in letter form only, with such memoriable letter writers as Peter Rabbit, Goldilocks, one of The Three Little Pigs, Farmer McGregor's Daughter, and the Big Bad Wolf among others. It is an interesting tale connected by the letters. You revisit old favorites but with a twist as you discover how they become connected making a new and interesting tale. This is a great story to show letter writing and still connect with old and familar fairytales.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dear Peter Rabbit, April 15, 2000

By 

janis madsen (San Joaquin Valley, California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dear Peter Rabbit (Paperback)

This book unites many favorite fairytale characters. The story is told in letter form only, with such memoriable letter writers as Peter Rabbit, Goldilocks, one of The Three Little Pigs, Farmer McGregor's Daughter, and the Big Bad Wolf among others. It is an interesting tale connected by the letters. You revisit old favorites but with a twist as you discover how they become connected making a new and interesting tale. This is a great story to show letter writing and still connect with old and familar fairytales.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dear Peter Rabbit, May 9, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Dear Peter Rabbit (Paperback)

Dear Peter Rabbit is a great book! If you like books written in letter style this is your kind ok book.My favorite character is Peter rabbit,He can be pretty sneaky, for example he stole carrots from Goldilocks. When all of of his friends gather an unpleasent guest comes. What are they going to do? If you like suprises read Dear Peter Rabbit.