The Tale of Peter Rabbit

by David McPhail (Illustrator), Beatrix Potter

Although Potter's animals are anthropomorphized, they never suffer from the coy sentimentality displayed by less able executants. Her down-to-earth directness makes no concessions to "childish" vocabulary or tender emotions: Peter's father was "put in a pie and eaten".

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Picture Books, Rabbits, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1901

About the author

David was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts and attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. While there, he began illustrating. He is now an award-winning author and illustrator of nearly 200 books beloved by children, parents and librarians across the United States. McPhail has garnered many prestigious awards, including a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year for Mole Music in 2001. McPhail’s other books include First Flight, which the New York Times praised as “hilarious and helpful”; and Lost!, which was chosen as an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists.

McPhail has four children, three stepchildren, and is a proud grandfather. He is married to Jan Waldron, with whom he has written and illustrated several books. He lives in Rye, New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Nabila Tabassum Chowdhury · Rating 3 out of 5]

গল্পটা কৌতূহলী দুষ্টু খরগোশ ছানা পিটারের। সব ভদ্র খরগোশ ছানারা ভদ্র হয়ে থাকার সময় পিটারের বেশ একখানা ভয়ংকর অভিযান হয়ে গেল। শেষ পাতাটা, যে পাতায় পিটারকে (এবং সেই থাকে সমগ্র বাচ্চা সম্প্রদায়কে) সুবোধ বানানোর একটা প্রচেষ্টা ছিল, সে পাতাটা না থাকলে গল্পটা নির্দ্বিধায় পাঁচ তারা পাবার উপযুক্ত হতে পারতো। একটা পাতা পুরো ডুবিয়ে দিল গল্পটাকে। পৃথিবীতে যদি দুষ্টু বাচ্চা সম্প্রদায় না থাকে, সব বাচ্চা সুবোধ হয় যায় তাহলে তো পৃথিবী চলবে না। এমনকি পিটারের দুষ্টুমির উপর এমন একখানা বই লেখাও যাবে না। বড়রা যে এটা বোঝার মত যথেষ্ট বড় কবে হবে কে জানে!!

[Emma VanBuskirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fantasy book is Beatrix Potter's telling of the story of Peter Rabit. The illustrations in this picture book are by David McPhail using mixed media. Peter Rabit is a mischievous little boy who decides to sneak over to Mr. McGregor's garden even after his mother told him not to. The theme of this story is the importance of listening to your parents and the consequences that may come if you don't. This story is great for a read-aloud for young children to teach them the reasoning behind the book and why it is important to listen to adults.

[H. L. Reyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curious Peter Rabbit ventures out to Mr. McGregor’s garden, ignoring his mother’s warning to stay away. When he soon finds himself in trouble, the classic tale displays many things for a young reader to consider — should he have listened? Was it worth it? Will he get back home and learn his lesson?

Though this is a shorter read and not among our top favorites, it is still a worthwhile read. I love this particular version by Scholastic for my kids to practice reading aloud. The illustrations give that sort of vintage-cute old fashioned vibes.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I much prefer the original, tiny books by Beatrix Potter. The style is better and the illustrations are far better too. The premise of this version was to reach younger readers and as a way to introduce them to folktales. This book is due for an illustration upgrade, as I found the illustrations to be dry and washed out. No to mention this book was produced in 1986, over 33 years ago!

[Hayden Waller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting Peters mom to catch him in Mr. McGregor’s garden but rather he got sick and she didn’t question it. I thought this was strange! Definitely not a story I really cared for and would probably not recommend it or have it in my future classroom.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

#36 on Time Magazine 100 Best Children's books
I know I read this when my son was pre-school age. We got our copy through a BP gas station program (it was a set of 5 or 6 Beatrix Potter books). I don't remember it ending as abruptly as I felt this one did.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a classic

[Jacinta Wick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the original but okay. The spirit of the book was pretty much the same but I prefer the original.

[Jordyn Kilmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is in the modern fantasy genre.
This book is a classic story that I read since I was a child. It tells the story of Peter Rabbit and the mischief he gets himself into. It is a sweet story, but does have some large words so small children may struggle to read this.

[Emma DiTommaso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade Level: Pre-K-1
Genre: Folk Tale
This is a great book to read. I read it to kids that I was babysitting and they seemed to enjoy it too. I loved the pictures and the way that the storyline goes. I loved how the book included animals and the kids seemed to really like the animals.

[Mackenzie Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember really enjoying this book as a child, but while rereading it, I wonder how I ever made sense of it! It is clear the author does not speak American English, and some of the words she uses and even some aspects of the story seem very foreign to me! Of course I understand them now, but I'm not sure how I understood it then! At any rate, this book is very well-written. If there weren't any illustrations, one could easily imagine all the scenes being described. However, the pictures included in this account of Peter Rabbit's mischievous day in a forbidden garden are lovely and definitely add to the story. This book would be great for teaching children to follow the rules!

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had assumed I had a version of this with Beatrix Potter's illustrations, but no, I had this one. I remember Peter Rabbit's little red slippers and his sisters' dresses. It's all very vivid. I may had had another copy (my mother insists we once went to a Beatrix Potter exhibit and bought all of our Beatrix Potter books there so it doesn't make sense that I would recall another version, but I do).

As for the story, I still don't like it. Naughty rabbits don't make good role models, and he may not win out in the end, but he sure is the hero of this story.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've had this book for a while now, but we never read it until this weekend. Melanie wanted to read it several times a day, so I guess she likes it.

[Milo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mama says it is just as she remembers reading it as a child. I liked it. I worried for Peter. I wanted him to escape from the farmer.