Customer Reviews

Giant Treasury of Peter Rabbit

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My son loved Peter Rabbit as a preschooler and now my toddler daughter does also. I did not buy him many of the Beatrix Potter tales though and I wanted my daughter to have many of the stories in one book and this one has more than the Complete Tales....that is also listed. So I chose this one. I'm glad I did! This is a must for any child who just loves these characters. Each story is just as interesting and as cute as the one before it.

First, I must emphatically state that I am a big, big fan of Beatrix Potter. I grew up on her stories, read them to my children and to my grandchildren and consider them at the pinnacle of children's literature. I also consider Beatrix Potter much, much more than an illustrator (although I have nothing at all against good illustrators), but rather an artist; an artist who happened to be able to write wonderful children's stories. Now that being said....

I have given this work four stars. The only reason I am giving it four instead of three is because....well, its Beatrix Potter! Let me explain. This work contains eight of her wonderful stories, set in chronological order as to when they were written. Included are The Tale of Peter Rabbit, the tailor of Gloucester, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, the Tale of Benjamin Bunny, The Tale of Two Bad Mice, The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-winkle, The Pie and the Patty-Pan and The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher. All good stories and all, but the publishers have edited two of these stories. These two are The Pie and the Patty-Pan and The Tailor of Gloucester. How dare they! That is like editing the works of Mark Twain, Earnest Hemingway, The Bible or any other classic. It simply SHOULD NOT BE DONE!

My second complaint with this particular publication is the quality of the pictures. They are small and the color simply dose not "snap" the way it should. I do not know if it is the quality of the ink, paper or skill of the printer, but the illustrations here are simply not up to standard. The prints are small and placed three to a page along with the narrative. For me, this simply does not work. You simply cannot see clearly the details that make Ms. Potter's work so magical.
So, while I would give the stories and illustrations here, in their original form, at least ten stars, I fear I would have to give this particular edition two at best. With the Amazon system of grading, I will split the difference and give this one four but would encourage you to seek out a better edition of these works.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

"Cera una volta" in Italian, "once upon a time" -- the first pocket sized Beatrix Potter books were introduced to me by my mother in their long-standing 1950s format. There should be a great revival soon due to the new film "Miss Potter." (Born 1866 into an intensely lonely childhood). These are timeless books for all children, with wonderful illustrations by the author and great moral tales of adventure, suspense, and excitement. It has been about 45 years since I read a Potter tale in Italian, French, or English, as I did tonight. They hold up wonderfully against the great test of time. I found a copy in a box in my closet tonight (origin unknown), and it instilled many fond memories. My mom shouting "Ladro!" ("thief!") when Mr. McGregor almost caught Peter eating greens in his garden; his mother had warned Peter that his father previously had ended up in a "rabbit pie" cooked by Mrs. McGregor. I look forward to seeing the new movie. The story of the authoress as a major British literary figure is well deserving of preservation. Buy these books for your young kids and spend some quality time together. The new film "Miss Potter" with famed actress Renee Zellwigger ("Bridget Jones") stars as the authoress in this wonderful history of a brilliant English writer and illustrator. This edition (1980-95) Crown Publishers,Derrydale books) may not be available as stated but it is available from Amazon in similar edtions. Even better, try to find the pocket-sized editions which have better quality illustrations, a landmark in publishing history. Highly recommended for kids ages 4 to 7 -- a timeless treasure trove of a unique voice in the history of British children's literature, in the vein of Lewis Carroll and Peter Barrie. Instead of a computer game, tuck your kid into bed tonight and read "Once upon a time" ... "cera una volta" ... there was a rabbit named Peter ...

terrific book! the boys enjoy reading it and we like multiple stories to choose from.
excellent deal.

I ordered this book for my 4 years old son as a birthday gift, but I was not impressed with the quality of the pictures - kind of faded, cheep looking print. The stories were cute, but the book overall did not have the qualities I was looking for. I decided to return it and pick something else instead.