The Tale of Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter spent most of her childhood in a tall, stone house in London. In the late 1800’s, young women called governesses taught girls from rich families at home. So Beatrix did not go to school and meet other children her age.
The Potters’ servants were Beatrix’s friends. Her nurse told her fairy tales, and her governess taught her about flowers and plants. Cox, the butler, brought her animals that she kept in her third-floor schoolroom.
Two of Beatrix’s dearest pets were mice that Cox caught in the kitchen. Beatrix named them Hunca Munca and Appley Dappley. She also kept a rabbit named Benjamin Bunny and fed him off a china plate. Her most unusual pet was probably Tiggy, a hedgehog, who drank milk from a teacup.
Beatrix loved to watch her animals. She drew lots of sketches showing Hunca Munca, Tiggy, and Benjamin Bunny in their favourite poses. For each drawing, Beatrix made up a story. She shared her stories with her governess after each day’s lessons.
Beatrix’s favourite season was summer, when the Potter family visited the Scottish countryside. There Beatrix admired fields full of plants and animals. She drew the many wildflowers and animals that she saw and painted her drawings with water-colours.
When Beatrix grew up, she remained good friends with her last governess. Beatrix visited her and wrote letters to her governess’s children. One of the earliest letters was actually a story about a rabbit called Peter. It included drawings of the rabbit and his three sisters.
A publishing house offered to print the story as a book if Beatrix would colour the pictures. So she brightened the drawings with delicate water-colours. The Tale of Peter Rabbit became a huge success. In time, children all around the world were enjoying stories and water-colours of Peter, Hunca Munca, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and a host of other animals that flowed from Beatrix Potter’s brush.
Picture Credit : Google