The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Reading Railroad) [Paperback]

Beatrix Potter (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 26, 2004 | Age Range: 3 - 7 years | Series: Reading Railroad

"Now run along, and don't get into mischief," Mrs.. Rabbit tells her bunnies.  But frisky Peter runs straight to Mr.. McGregor's tasty garden and sneaks under the gate!  This beloved classic is once again available in an 8x8 Reading Railroad, now with beautifully remastered artwork.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The quintessential cautionary tale, Peter Rabbit warns naughty children about the grave consequences of misbehaving. When Mrs. Rabbit beseeches her four furry children not to go into Mr. McGregor's garden, the impish Peter naturally takes this as an open invitation to create mischief. He quickly gets in over his head, when he is spotted by farmer McGregor himself. Any child with a spark of sass will find Peter's adventures remarkably familiar. And they'll see in Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail that bane of their existence: the "good" sibling who always does the right thing. One earns bread and milk and blackberries for supper, while the obstinate folly of the other warrants medicine and an early bedtime.

Beatrix Potter's animal stories have been a joy to generations of young readers. Her warm, playful illustrations in soft colors invite children into the world of words and flights of fancy. Once there, she gently and humorously guides readers along the path of righteousness, leaving just enough room for children to wonder if that incorrigible Peter will be back in McGregor's garden tomorrow. (Ages Baby to Preschool) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-Over the years, Hague has re-illustrated many texts that were in the public domain. A number of his books have given new life to overlooked work and have been widely appreciated. His reinterpretation of the work of Potter, however, is egregiously unnecessary. Potter wanted her books to be small enough for little hands to hold. Hague's book is almost twice as large. Potter's book has softly colored spot illustrations, honing in beautifully on the drama or emotions of the facing pages of text. Hague's art is overblown with extraneous details that threaten to overwhelm the plot. His rabbits with enormous eyes are reminiscent of those kitschy, large-eyed waifs popularized by the Keans in the 1960s. If Potter's books were out of print, or in danger of becoming so, one might be more receptive to Hague's version, but they are readily available and hard, if not impossible, to improve upon. Why try?-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (January 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0448435217
• ISBN-13: 978-0448435213
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 7.6 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (145 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943)was a writer and illustrator. The Lake District where she lived for the last thirty years of her life as a farmer and conservationist was a particular source of her inspiration, and her passion for the natural world lay behind the creation of her famous little books.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 69 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale too good to pass up April 30, 2004

By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Caveat: Now if you're in the market to buy "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", I highly recommend that you do NOT purchase the horrendous version illustrated by David McPhail. This interesting monstrosity takes a book that was previous perfect and renders it perverse. I am reviewing the original Beatrix Potter edition of this tale, but because Amazon.com doesn't like to differentiate reviews, I'm fairly certain that this review will also appear for the McPhail book as well. Please, dear readers, do not in any way shape or form purchase the McPhail version if you want the original adept "Peter Rabbit"! Where Potter is adept and charming, McPhail is syrupy and doe-eyed. Where Potter is subtle, McPhail is over the top. Where Potter succeeds, McPhail fails. To locate an original edition of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" click on the author "Beatrix Potter" as it appears at the top of this screen. That should bring you to a selection of choices, one of which is the original "The Tale of Peter Rabbit". Oddly, the only way to purchase that particular original version of the tale is to select her name. I don't know why. Call it a flaw in the Amazon.com system, if you will.

Now, why doesn't Peter Rabbit age? I'm not being literal here, people, so please don't inundate me with explanations that patiently explain that fictional characters in books cannot get old. I won't hear a word of it. Reading "Peter Rabbit" today is just as fresh and new an experience as it was one hundred years ago. Author Beatrix Potter created the story of Peter Rabbit for a young boy with whom she was acquainted. Using the novel idea of drawing animals as they appeared in nature, just in funny clothes and talking, her books are remarkable because she had a dual talent for both illustration and clever narrative. Now after all these years I opened up "Peter Rabbit" to see why I loved it as much as I did as a kid. And the fact of the matter is, it hasn't aged a smidgen. A remarkable and astounding feat for a story originally published in 1903.

Peter lives, as many of us know, in a large fir tree with his mother and his siblings Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail. His father was baked in a pie (a fact that many parents have decried as too dark for children, and that many children have shrugged at without a second thought). Though instructed by his mother NOT to go digging in Mr. McGregor's garden, he's a naughty little thing. His tasty trip is brought up short, however, when he stumbles across the farmer himself. In the course of their chase Peter loses his little blue jacket with the shiny brass buttons and must return to his mother (after a series of close shaves) without it or his shoes. He is promptly put to bed with a cup of camomile tea (a fate we non-camomile tea drinkers must assume is harsh) while his siblings eat the tasty blackberries they picked that morning.

Beatrix Potter claimed that though she was adept at illustrating animals, she had the darndest time (my words, not hers) drawing people. You will note, therefore, that Mr. McGregor is a bit of a featureless wag. The story was remarkable in that it was the first time (I believe) that animals drawn in a picture book actually looked like real animals. Peter is exactly the kind of bunny you'd expect to catch in your yard, except that he's occasionally wearing jaunty spring wear. The similarities in this tale to that of the Brer Rabbit tales of the American South is interesting but due to the fact that Potter was writing this story in 1903 Britain, she probably didn't steal the plot. The book is a classic in the purest sense, of course. If you can get a copy that is small (intended from the start to be the size that little hands could open easily) do. It's a beautiful tale that is as fresh and green today as it was when written long long ago. A classic.

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT the original story December 17, 2010

By Shannon Phillips

Format:Board book

Although it's presented as if it were "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter, this is actually a HEAVILY edited version that bears little resemblance to the original. It's terrible. Compare, for instance, a passage from Beatrix Potter's original "Peter Rabbit":

"Peter was most dreadfully frightened; he rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate. He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes. After losing them, he ran on four legs and went faster, so that I think he might have got away altogether if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net, and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new."

In this board-book version, this becomes: "Peter was very frightened. He rushed all over the garden and lost both his shoes. Then he tripped and got caught in a net."

All of the charm of the original story has been lost, replaced with a clunky and hamfisted summary of events. It's like the Cliff Notes version of "Peter Rabbit." It's ridiculous--the original story is already short, and has been beloved by small children for generations. There was NO NEED to butcher Beatrix Potter this way.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book for Young Toddlers August 6, 2000

By Occasional Reviewer

Format:Board book

I purchased this book for our daughter when she was about 6 months old but she wasn't at all interested in it, unlike 95% of our other purchases. Then at about 12 months she picked it out for me to read it to her, and it has increasingly become a favorite. I think the reason she didn't like it earlier on was, ironically, the same reason I readily purchased it - the beautiful watercolor illustrations. While they are very beautiful, they are somewhat muted resulting in a look that blurs all of the detail together. Of course, this is just a guess. At any rate, she now very much enjoys this book, and anticipates the action, such as Peter sneezing, or the "scr-r-ritch, scratch" of a hoe. Board books with a storyline are somewhat more difficult to find than the counting, color, alphabet, opposites, etc. kind, and my daughter has always definitely enjoyed stories. Additionally, this book teaches us there are repercussions for our actions, but in a tone that is mild and appropriate for young toddlers. If this is what you're looking for, and you're not looking for storybooks for a younger baby, this would be an excellent choice.