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Beatrix Potter (1866–1943)

Author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit

1,254+ Works 72,733 Members 636 Reviews 78 Favorited
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About the Author

(Helen) Beatrix Potter, 1866 - 1943 (Helen) Beatrix Potter was born in 1866 in London where she was privately educated. During most of her adult life, she lived in a farm cottage in Sawrey, Westmoreland County. She was unsuccessful in trying to publish her serious botanical work, watercolor studies show more of fungi, but she wrote and privately published "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" for an invalid child in 1900. This story became a children's classic throughout the world. Other animal characters created by her include, Benjamin Bunny, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. Her tales are illustrated by her own hand in delicate and detailed watercolor pictures depicting her characters. Potter's other works include "The Tailor of Gloucester" published in 1902 and "The Tale of Tom Kitten" published in 1907. At her death in 1943, she bequeathed her property in Sawrey to the National Trust, which also maintains her home as a museum. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:

Try not to confuse with Beatrice Potter (1958-1943), probably better known under her married name as Beatrice Webb, a political writer and Fabian Society/Labour Party activist.

Series

Works by Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902) 12,059 copies
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny (1904) 3,842 copies
The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck (1908) 3,428 copies
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (1903) 2,742 copies
The Tale of Tom Kitten (1907) 2,692 copies
The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher (1906) 2,659 copies
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (1905) 2,275 copies
The Tailor of Gloucester (1903) 2,173 copies
The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904) 2,146 copies
The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies (1909) 2,051 copies
The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse (1910) 1,593 copies
The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes (1911) 1,374 copies
The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse (1918) 1,066 copies
The Story of Miss Moppet (1906) 1,000 copies
The Tale of Mr. Tod (1912) 934 copies
The Tale of Pigling Bland (1913) 921 copies
Beatrix Potter: A Journal (1990) 319 copies
A Beatrix Potter Treasury (1990) 264 copies
The Fairy Caravan (1929) 204 copies
The Tale of Kitty-In-Boots (2016) 170 copies
The Peter Rabbit Pop-up Book (1983) 148 copies
Meet Peter Rabbit (1986) 136 copies
Letters to Children from Beatrix Potter (1966) — Author — 114 copies
A Treasury of Bunny Stories (1995) 104 copies
The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Other Stories (1982) — Author — 85 copies
The Art of Beatrix Potter (1955) 81 copies
Peter Rabbit's 1 2 3 (1988) 70 copies
Peter Rabbit Touch and Feel (2005) 70 copies
Peter Rabbit's A B C (1987) 69 copies
Fabula de Petro Cuniculo (1962) 65 copies
Beatrix Potter's Letters (1989) 60 copies
Peter Rabbit's Cookery Book (1980) — Illustrator — 52 copies
Hop To It!: A Scholastic Treasury of Easter Tales (2003) — Contributor — 47 copies
A First Peter Rabbit Book (1996) 46 copies
Meet Jemima Puddle-Duck (1525) 46 copies
Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (1992) 45 copies
Meet Hunca Munca (1986) 43 copies
The Sly Old Cat (1971) 40 copies
Red Riding Hood (2019) 38 copies
Meet Tom Kitten (1986) 34 copies
Love from Peter Rabbit (2017) 32 copies
All About Peter (2017) 31 copies
Where's Peter? (Potter) (2011) 30 copies
Look! Peter Rabbit (2002) 26 copies
Night, Night, Peter Rabbit (2006) 22 copies
The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1984) 20 copies
Animals with Peter Rabbit (2006) 17 copies
Shapes with Peter Rabbit (2006) 16 copies
Meet Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (1987) 15 copies
Meet Benjamin Bunny (1987) 15 copies
Numbers with Peter Rabbit (2007) 15 copies
Peter Rabbit Birthday Book (1994) 15 copies
Colours with Peter Rabbit (2007) 14 copies
Tale of Tom Kitten Pop Up (1988) 14 copies
Tales of Beatrix Potter (2002) 14 copies
The Tale of Tuppenny (1973) 12 copies
Tickle Time, Peter Rabbit (2004) 12 copies
Tom Kitten: Doorknob Books (1999) 11 copies
Peter Rabbit Says (Potter) (2007) 11 copies
Peter Rabbit and Friends (2020) 11 copies
Meet Squirrel Nutkin (1987) 10 copies
Peter Rabbit Counting Fun (2000) 10 copies
Peekaboo, Peter! (PR Baby Books) (2011) — Illustrator — 9 copies
Benjamin Bunny (1993) 9 copies
Cn Tom Kitten Tales (1993) 7 copies
Contos (2017) 7 copies
Peter Rabbit (1993) 6 copies
Peekawho? (Potter) (2011) 6 copies
The Tale of Tom Kitten: A Pop-Up Book (1987) — Author — 6 copies
Peter Rabbit 14 Tale (2016) 5 copies
Peter Rabbit Library 123 (2007) 5 copies
Classic nursery songs (1998) 5 copies
Tales from Beatrix Potter (1986) 5 copies
Peter Rabbit in kleur (1992) 4 copies
What Can You See Peter? (2019) 4 copies
Peter Rabbit's ABC Frieze (1987) 4 copies
Beatrix Potter (2001) 4 copies
Peter Rabbit Play-A-Sound (2003) 3 copies
ABC with Peter Rabbit (2000) 3 copies
Beatrix Potter Boxed Set (1984) 3 copies
Peter Rabbit and His Ma (2009) 3 copies
Mechant Petit Lapin (1977) 2 copies
La Caputxeta Vermella (2019) 2 copies
Short Fiction 2 copies
La Maison de Pierre Lapin (1994) 2 copies
Petter Kanins eventyr (2008) 2 copies
Peter Rabbit Doodle Book (2016) 2 copies
Um Passeio no Lago (2021) 2 copies
The Peter Rabbit Stories (2024) 2 copies
Peter Rabbit's 123 Frieze (1988) 2 copies
Sagan om Benjamin Kanin (1994) 2 copies
Parabéns, Pedrito! (2022) 1 copy
title (1994) 1 copy
Feliz Natal! 1 copy
Beatrix Potter (2016) 1 copy
Hill Top Tales Giftset (2005) 1 copy
Peter Rabbit 1 copy
Poekie poes (1999) 1 copy
La carovana fatata (2023) 1 copy
Ухти-Тухти (2011) 1 copy
Chaton (2001) 1 copy
Snowball fight! (2015) 1 copy
La storia di Tom Micio (1988) 1 copy
ʻAlilot Piter Arnavon (2011) 1 copy
Peter's First Easter (2023) 1 copy
Kogutud lood (2019) 1 copy
Peter Rabbit 1 copy
Cyn mynd i gysgu (1997) 1 copy
Katamotxen ipuina (1994) 1 copy
Perico el cartero (2012) 1 copy
Sister Anne 1 copy
Danger dans le potager (2005) 1 copy
Beatrix Potter : (2021) 1 copy
Schuitje varen (2020) 1 copy
Så bor djuren (1991) 1 copy
God natt, Petter (2018) 1 copy
Per Nyuszi kalandja (2000) 1 copy
Panache Petitgris (2002) 1 copy
Pasakos (2010) 1 copy
All About Peter Rabbit (1914) 1 copy

Associated Works

Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature (2007) — Illustrator — 632 copies
The Assassin's Cloak: An Anthology of the World's Greatest Diarists (2000) — Contributor, some editions — 550 copies
In the Nursery (1932) — Contributor — 285 copies
Fictitious Dishes (2014) — Illustrator, some editions — 117 copies
Peter Rabbit's Natural Foods Cookbook (1977) — Illustrator — 94 copies
The Penguin Book of Classic Children's Characters (1997) — Contributor — 88 copies
Folk and Fairy Tales (Childcraft) (1949) — Contributor — 78 copies
Richard Adams's Favorite Animal Stories (1979) — Contributor — 71 copies
The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends [TV series] (1993) — Original stories — 47 copies
Round the Christmas Tree (1983) — Author — 45 copies
The Junior Classics Volume 08: Animal and Nature Stories (1912) — Contributor — 41 copies
Wayside and Woodland Fungi (Wayside & Woodland) (1967) — Illustrator — 23 copies
Tales of Beatrix Potter [1971 film] (1971) — Original story — 21 copies
Big and Little Creatures (1961) — Illustrator — 14 copies
The illustrators : the British art of illustration 1800-2002 (2002) — Back cover illustrator — 13 copies
The Tale of Tom Kitten: A Pop-Up Book [Hoffman] (1994) — Author — 12 copies
The Country Child (1992) — Contributor — 10 copies
The Tale of Peter Rabbit [1991 TV movie] (1991) — Original story — 4 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 5, January 1979 (1979) — Illustrator — 2 copies
The Beatrix Potter Collection [TV series] — Original stories — 2 copies
Peter Rabbit: Season 1 — Original story — 1 copy
Peter Rabbit: Season 2 — Original story — 1 copy
The Tale of Peter Rabbit — Original Author — 1 copy

Tagged

20th century (166) animal stories (202) animals (1,822) anthology (165) Beatrix Potter (1,941) biography (214) board book (253) box set (146) British literature (209) cats (218) children (1,924) children's (3,173) children's book (388) children's books (640) children's classics (398) children's fiction (589) children's literature (1,008) classic (921) classics (679) diary (138) Easter (184) England (326) fantasy (304) fiction (3,423) hardcover (399) illustrated (470) juvenile (335) kids (359) literature (291) mice (237) nursery rhymes (192) own (281) Peter Rabbit (715) picture book (2,870) Potter (170) rabbits (1,028) read (373) series (254) short stories (193) to-read (519)

Common Knowledge

Legal name
Potter, Helen Beatrix
Birthdate
1866-07-28
Date of death
1943-12-22
Burial location
Sawrey, Cumbria, England, UK (Cremated-ashes were scattered in the countryside near Sawrey)
Gender
female
Nationality
UK
Country (for map)
England, UK
Birthplace
London, England, UK
Place of death
Sawrey, Cumbria, England, UK
Places of residence
Hill Top Farm, Sawrey, Cumbria, England, UK
Education
private tutors
Occupations
children's book author
children's book illustrator
mycologist
sheep breeder
farmer
Short biography
Beatrix Potter was born in south Kensington, London, to a wealthy family. She was educated by a governess and had a sheltered childhood with her younger brother Bertram. They kept an assortment of pets, including rabbits, mice, frogs, lizards, snakes, snails, and bats.
She began to draw and paint at an early age, and her parents encouraged her interest in art, providing her with special tutors and taking her to exhibitions at galleries.
The family spent summers in Scotland and later in the English Lake District, which provided much inspiration for her later work. She made her debut as a writer with a small animal book called A Happy Pair (1890), published under the pseudonym H.B.P. Her most famous work, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, was privately printed in 1901 in an edition of 250 copies, and then published by Frederick Warne & Co. Her wildly popular series of children's books, with their charming watercolor illustrations, also launched entire industries of pottery, tea-towels, plush toys, and animated films. With her royalties, she bought Hill Top, a 17th-century farm at Sawrey, Lancashire, in the Lake District, which became the setting for several of her books. At age 47, she married William Heelis, a solicitor, and gradually stopped writing. She bought a sheep farm and spent her last 30 years raising Herdwick sheep.
Disambiguation notice
Try not to confuse with Beatrice Potter (1958-1943), probably better known under her married name as Beatrice Webb, a political writer and Fabian Society/Labour Party activist.

Members

Discussions

Ginger and Pickles in Combiners! (May 2023)

Reviews

I read this for the "A Book That Cost You Less Than $5" part of my 2020 reading challenge. It was a cute, original tale. Mr. Jeremy Fisher certainly had a rough day.
 
Flagged
Linyarai | 24 other reviews | Mar 6, 2024 |
Another amazing staple in the children's reading section, this story follows Peter Rabbit a rabbit who disobeys his mother's rules and decides to venture into the neighbor's garden where he gets into lots of trouble from his mother. This story is a fun read that tells and teaches kids about consequences in their actions. I would say this book is a great read for kids from 5 to 7.
 
Flagged
Cbonham21 | 179 other reviews | Mar 1, 2024 |
I love the children's stories, but her journal at the end was tedious in the extreme, especially the older she got.
 
Flagged
dkhiggin | Mar 1, 2024 |
Beatrix Potter wrote this book about the tale of Peter rabbit and that children should always listen to their parents. Peter Rabbits mother warns him not to go into Mr. McGregor's garden because that is how his father died. Peter does not listen to his mother and decides to go see him anyways, this creates problems in his journey to the specific destination he would take. This book is a Childrens book. that allows children to observe and make opinions on what happens to children that don't listen to their parents. In the real world its important to teach children about the importance of safety and stranger danger.… (more)
 
Flagged
nrortega3 | 179 other reviews | Feb 22, 2024 |

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Associated Authors

Charles Santore Illustrator
Ian O'Leary Photographer
Dennis Abey Director
Dave Unwin Director
Vivian Leigh Narrator
Cyndy Szekeres Illustrator
Dianne Jackson Series Director
Lisa McCue Illustrator
John F. Nunn Translator
Jen Corace Contributor
David Ezra Stein Contributor
Chuck Groenink Contributor
Brendan Wenzel Contributor
Kelly Murphy Contributor
Judy Schachner Contributor
Jon Agee Contributor
Tony DiTerlizzi Contributor
Anne Carroll Moore Introduction
John Speirs Contributor
Bernice Chardiet Contributor
Charles Micucci Illustrator
Amanda Stephens Contributor
Hans Wilhelm Contributor
David McPhail Illustrator
Norman Bridwell Contributor
Teri Weidner Illustrator
Nadia May Narrator
Mary Jane Bowe Voice Actress
Su Pollard Voice Actress
Patricia Routledge Voice Actress
Lloyd Owen Reader
Rosemary Leach Voice Actress
Alan Bowe Voice Actor
Niamh Cusack Actress
Jenny Moore Voice Actress
T. F. Marsh Illustrator
Wendy Craig Narrator
Emily Huws Translator
Leonard Weisgard Illustrator
Ethel Hays Illustrator
Estelle Frantz Illustrator
Victorine Ballon Translator
Nancy Perkins Illustrator
Carol Burnett Narrator
Rod Ruth Illustrator
K. Olwen Rees Translator
Laurence Model Traduction
Michel Beauvais Traduction
Marjo Keizer Translator
Mónica Rubio Translator
M. E. Translator
Anna Pomaska Illustrator
Kate Olwen Rees Translator
Eike Schönfeld Translator
Helen Mirren Narrator
Marie Angel Illustrator
SYDNEY EDWARDS Introduction
Selina Cadell Voice Actress
Sandra Dickinson Voice Actress

Statistics

Works
1,254
Also by
33
Members
72,733
Popularity
#174
Rating
4.1
Reviews
636
ISBNs
3,578
Languages
32
Favorited
78

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