The books we read as children hold so much meaning as we get older. The stories we loved and admired would then be passed down generations. None more so than the wonderful tales written by Beatrix Potter.
The world created by Potter has touched the hearts of so many and continues to fascinate and entertain children to this day. So as we celebrate her 150th birthday, we’re taking a look at the life of Beatrix Potter and explore what made her books so popular.
28th July 1866, Helen Beatrix Potter was born in South Kensington, London. From an early age, Beatrix showed a real talent for illustrations and painting and inspired by classic folk and fairy tales; she would often draw her own interpretations of the stories she read growing up.
As children Beatrix and her brother Walter Bertram developed a real-love for animals. They had many pets as well as collections of insects that they had discovered in their grounds. These observations would continue to influence Potter’s drawings and career into adulthood.
Beatrix would write picture letters to children that she knew and it was in 1901 that one such letter would develop into one of the most iconic stories and recognised illustrations in children’s literature, A Tale of Peter Rabbit.
A Tale of Peter Rabbit, a story about a young (and somewhat rebellious) rabbit who lives with his mother and three sisters. Following an accident in Mr McGregor’s garden, his father was put into a pie by the farmer’s wife. The children are advised by their mother to never to enter Mr McGregor’s garden, however Peter decides to go against her warnings… The story sees young Peter chased by the farmer and forced to hide in a watering can. Several narrow escapes later, he eventually makes it home to his mother who sends him to bed with no dinner.
After initially being turned down by a number of commercial publishers, the book was published by Frederick Warne in 1902 and went on to achieve great success and the franchise was born. Potter recognised the benefit merchandise to accompany the story and commissioned a number of dolls, puzzles and painting books. It is for this reason that the illustrations in the books are as widely loved as the stories themselves.
The stories told by Beatrix Potter have been adapted and recreated many times over the years both here in the UK and across the pond. Most famously, the BBC series that was aired between 1992 and 1995 and brought to life many of the characters that Potter had created. Including The Tale of Tom Kitten, The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and Mr Jeremy Fisher.