Beatrix Books

I purchased this CD set at the beginning of summer, so that my children (then aged 4, 7, 9) would have something new and different to listen to in the car as we drove about on summer outings. When the first CD started, I thought, "Wow, I knew this was unabridged, but the vocabulary is really advanced", and with the British colloquialisms and some of the archaic speech from Potter's time, I thought the kids wouldn't stay interested. BUT THEY LOVED IT!!! They would act out stories at home, ask to listen at home, too, and even quote parts or sing some of the diddies from the stories. Remarkable. A teaching moment for me to not underestimate my children's capacity to LISTEN and ENJOY.

This book is an introduction and guide to mushroom identification geared towards British readers. It begins with 6 short chapters that provide a general introduction to the subject, covering fungi and man, nature and naming of fungi, amateur mycology, collection and identification of fungi, ecology and habits of fungi, and classification of fungi. At the end of this section are two keys for identification, one focusing on spore color and the other on microscopic characteristics. The remainder of the book is organized according to the first key, with separate chapters for each group of fungi. Within this section, individual species receive a short textual description, about a paragraph in length. The descriptions generally include information about where the fungus can be found, size, shape, smell, and taste.

The descriptions refer to the color plates featuring watercolors by Beatrix Potter, who was an avid amateur mycologist in her day. Indeed, Findlay notes in the introductory material that Potter painted these pictures with the hope of someday illustrating a reference book such as this one, but never managed to complete the project herself. Findlay was so taken with the illustrations that he determined to use them in this book so that they could be appreciated by a wider audience. Of course, not all of the species described in the book are illustrated, and Potter's collection of polypore illustrations was not as rich as her illustrations of mushrooms, so they are supplemented with black-and-white photos in the polypore chapter. End material for the book includes a bibliography, a glossary, and an index.

Please do not waste your money buying The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit with illustrations by Charles Santore. Beatrix Potter would have been heartbroken at the sight of these illustrations and the changes in text and format. If you want to instill memories in your children, do it with ONLY a copy that includes Beatrix Potter's beautiful art and prose. Seek out a copy of Beatrix's that includes HER ART. These illustrations have not a shred of the beauty and form that were originally intended.
It's sad that even one tree was wasted to produce this book.

My dad read this title to me when I was very young. Some of my best memories with him are sitting in his lap early in the morning before anyone else was up. I was not always as healthy as I am now; I was always sick with something. I would creep into his lap while he was reading. I remember he'd pull out the "Rabbit book" or the "frog book", depending on the mood I was in. And then he'd read aloud to me while I stared at the beautiful pictures.

There are few books I can say the same for. But this book will make standing memories for children. These were dad's and my stories, and I'll never forget the mornings we spent reading them.

This edition of the classic has large pages with beautiful drawings of the rabbits and other creatures. What is especially nice about the text is that it introduces higher-level vocabulary words in an exciting adventure story suitable to listeners as young as 3 or 4.

The text in this book differs slightly from the original, and is condensed onto large pages with less pictures. In effect, when reading this book to my child, he wanted to "see the picture", but there was none. We have returned to using the original version which illustrates much more of the action.

My son wanted me to read a book to him, and I just grabbed this off his shelf. We have a big set of Potter's books. This one is not the favorite, but we enjoy all her books. My son learns a lot, and will ask, "Mom, what does commotion mean...", for example. Beatrix Potter's books are great vocabulary builders for this reason. I love the old fashioned style, and simple sweet ways of these stories. It brings everyday animals to 'life'. The illustrations alone, and the little clothes the animals wear, and their personalities, are just too cute. I would highly recommend!

My 2 1/2 year old picked this book out because of the cute squirrel picture. I vaguely remembered the Potter books from my childhood and was sure that it would be nice.

Although the story is somewhat hard to follow, here is the basic storyline....

It starts out very nicely with a squirrel and his wife, preparing for winter; gathering and storing nuts. Timmy stashes his in a hollow tree. A roving band of forgetful squirrels can't remember where their nuts are and begin to fight. About this time, a bird comes by and randomly begins to sing "who's been digging up my nuts" (Beatrix goes out of her way to explain that this is not mean spirited, but just the normal song that a bird would sing) Naturally, the gang of squirrels thinks that Timmy has stolen their nuts and they beat him severely, and stuff him in the hollow tree, through a small hole that results in the breaking of his ribs. His wife is distraught when he doesn't come home and goes to look for him. Meanwhile a chipmunk, who has left his wife to live in the hollow tree, holds the injured Timmy hostage (Think "Misery") while he force feeds nuts to him to prevent his departure through the small hole. Assuming her husband won't return, Timmy's wife continues collecting nuts and dumps them into a hole, that just happens to be inhabited by the chipmunks estranged wife. Mrs. Chipmunk shows Mrs. Squirrel where the husbands are camped out, but refuses to go in to get Timmy because she is afraid that Mr. Chipmunk will bite her. So the husbands stay in the tree and eat nuts for a good while, until a storm blows the tree down and Timmy can excape. The squirrels are reunited, but the stubborn, violent chipmunk chooses to stay in the stump and be rained upon, rather than go home to his wife. After catching a bad cold, he still needs to be scared off by a bear before he will go home to his wife. The lesson of the story...Timmy & his wife lock up their stash of nuts from now on. This was a terrible children's story.

This tale is a very funny tale about a very funny squirrel named Timmy Tiptoes. Him and his wife Goody are getting ready for fall and hibernation. They go out to collect some nuts to store for winter and spring, and you can only imagine what could happen to then. This is yet another great story from Beatrix Potter, but not one of her best ones, I think.
The other squirrels in the forest think that Timmy has stolen all his nuts from their storehouses and they go to chase him. He then gets trapped in a tree with a chipmunk, known simply as Chipmunk. They decide to stay there while both of their wives get very angry with them. Read to find out what happens to the both of them, in this great book, perfect for nature and animal lovers.
~Camille

Out of the complete Beatrix Potter collection, my 4-year-old daughter enjoys hearing this story the most. This story keeps her attention through the entire story. She looks forward to the end when Timmy Tiptoes is reunited with his wife. Some of Potter's stories can be a little harsh, this one is border-line, where the child may worry about Timmy Tiptoes, but he ends up getting back to his wife and life as usual.

First, let me say that I haven't looked at this book since the early 90s. It belongs to my mother, who lives in another state, and so I can't look through it again before reviewing. I have very warm memories of this book, which may be slightly colored by the fact that it was my first real exposure to good knitting patterns.

Here's what I remember:

This book is a collection of very traditional English patterns. In that vein, and considering that it was published in the 80s, the sweaters tend towards the boxy, and a few are on the stodgy side. If you like very traditional knits, and/or don't mind adjusting a pattern to reduce the design ease, this is a great book.

The patterns fall into three categories:
- directly inspired by Beatrix Potter's books (like Peter Rabbit's cardigan and tam)
- loosely inspired by her books (traditional English country knits)
- designs featuring Beatrix Potter characters (the flopsy bunnies, Peter Rabbit, etc.)

The patterns cover a wide range of skill levels and techniques, including intarsia, cables and lace. There are patterns for men, women, babies and kids, and many of the them are sized for the entire family. I remember the patterns as being very well-written, with excellent tips.

Since it's such an old book, I'd imagine that the yarns called for have been discontinued. However, since the styles and techniques are so classic, you shouldn't have any trouble finding good yarns to substitute.

If you're interested in trendier knits and silhouettes, don't buy this. If you're looking for classic styles or don't mind doing some adaptation, this is an excellent choice, and a lot of patterns for the money.

Here is a book that offers a complete range of classic garments (that can be made more 'boxy' according to today's styles by adding easements along the seams between the sweater front and back) for ages from babies to adults (including men).

The patterns are all based on Beatrix Potter's own watercolors. Included are cozy outfits for toddlers, a christening robe, all-in-ones (pramsuits), as well as sweaters and tops. Some have motifs based on Potter's animal characters, others have specially created jacquard and textured designs -- all inspired by Beatrix Potter's well-loved flower and landscape paintings.

All patterns are photographed in color, many on location in Beatrix Potter's own English Lake District. You'll find charts, diagrams, pattern detail tips, and international conversion tables. Inexperienced knitters can manage some of these patterns and more experienced knitters will enjoy plenty of challenge, should they wish it!

This is a timeless classic knitting book that deserves a reprinting and an update. Barring that, it's a wonderful addition to one's knitting library.

I love Beatrix Potter. I love knitting. A book that combines both? This I had to see, simply out of curiosity.

Unfortunately, the book was published in the late 1980s, so the patterns (mostly for children -- which I expected, considering it's Beatrix Potter) are extremely dated. Instead of timeless or even "traditional" patterns, most of them are the type of garments you look back on as a child of the 80s and say, "I can't believe my mom dressed me in that." You know, boxy sweaters with bulky frill around the collars, in pastel pink with a big bunny cross stitched on the front.

Of course I wasn't really expecting to find any great patterns to add to my collection, but I thought maybe it would have some cute baby designs with a Potter aesthetic (you know, for the future baby I might one day have). Maybe if I were an accomplished knitter I could find a way to salvage some parts of the patterns, and update them to fit into this decade...but...I'm not. Oh well.

I ordered this book for my 4 years old son as a birthday gift, but I was not impressed with the quality of the pictures - kind of faded, cheep looking print. The stories were cute, but the book overall did not have the qualities I was looking for. I decided to return it and pick something else instead.

"Cera una volta" in Italian, "once upon a time" -- the first pocket sized Beatrix Potter books were introduced to me by my mother in their long-standing 1950s format. There should be a great revival soon due to the new film "Miss Potter." (Born 1866 into an intensely lonely childhood). These are timeless books for all children, with wonderful illustrations by the author and great moral tales of adventure, suspense, and excitement. It has been about 45 years since I read a Potter tale in Italian, French, or English, as I did tonight. They hold up wonderfully against the great test of time. I found a copy in a box in my closet tonight (origin unknown), and it instilled many fond memories. My mom shouting "Ladro!" ("thief!") when Mr. McGregor almost caught Peter eating greens in his garden; his mother had warned Peter that his father previously had ended up in a "rabbit pie" cooked by Mrs. McGregor. I look forward to seeing the new movie. The story of the authoress as a major British literary figure is well deserving of preservation. Buy these books for your young kids and spend some quality time together. The new film "Miss Potter" with famed actress Renee Zellwigger ("Bridget Jones") stars as the authoress in this wonderful history of a brilliant English writer and illustrator. This edition (1980-95) Crown Publishers,Derrydale books) may not be available as stated but it is available from Amazon in similar edtions. Even better, try to find the pocket-sized editions which have better quality illustrations, a landmark in publishing history. Highly recommended for kids ages 4 to 7 -- a timeless treasure trove of a unique voice in the history of British children's literature, in the vein of Lewis Carroll and Peter Barrie. Instead of a computer game, tuck your kid into bed tonight and read "Once upon a time" ... "cera una volta" ... there was a rabbit named Peter ...

My son loved Peter Rabbit as a preschooler and now my toddler daughter does also. I did not buy him many of the Beatrix Potter tales though and I wanted my daughter to have many of the stories in one book and this one has more than the Complete Tales....that is also listed. So I chose this one. I'm glad I did! This is a must for any child who just loves these characters. Each story is just as interesting and as cute as the one before it.

Pigling Bland isn't a very good story. It's time to admit that. The tale just sort of stops without finishing up as characters wander off in the final pages. Makes little sense and I can't imagine what could be learned from it. Low entertainment value, too.

"'Bacon and eggs, bacon and eggs!' clucked a hen on a perch." Pigling Bland faces a wicked, dangerous world,but good sense, resourcefulness and peppermints... No, I won't spoil a classic 1913 Beatrix Potter story for you. To be read out loud in a quiet, old-fashioned voice by the fireside on a winter's evening, savouring the sonorous words and inimitable watercolour illustrations. There's even some love interest. Ideal for the 4-8 age group and older.

Poor old Aunt Pettitoes cannot afford to feed all eight of her piglet offspring, and so she sends seven of them out into the world. Pigling Bland is going to market, to find a job with a farmer when he gets lost and meets a strange old man. Keeping his wits about him, Pigling Bland succeeds in escaping from the old man, along with the beautiful young Pig-wig.

This cute little book was written and illustrated by the great Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) in 1913. The story itself is somewhat confusing as the author did not make clear what was going on with licenses and county boundaries, and what ultimately happened to Pigling Bland and Pig-wig. But, remembering that Ms. Potter was trying to use familiar animals to tell stories to the young children of her time, you can see what the ultimate idea of the story was - keeping your head, and navigating through a dangerous world

Overall, I would say that this is not one of Ms. Potter's best works, but it is still an entertaining and silly little story. I recommend this book to all Beatrix Potter fans!

The is a story of 2 pies, two friends and a tea party that's full of mixed up pies.

Honestly, this is one story that's hard to actually to keep up with but what the heck, it has beautiful illustration to make it up for. The plot however failed to grip me in the roots.

When a little dog named Duchess gets an invitation to tea at the home of Ribby the cat, she becomes dreadfully afraid that Ribby is going to serve her mouse pie. Duchess has a delightful veal and ham pie, and comes up with a very clever plan to substitute her own pie for Ribby's. But, when she can't Ribby's pie, things begin to go from bad to worse.

This cute little book is another great example of Beatrix Potter's (1866-1943) work. The story is simple and yet fun, and the watercolor illustrations (also by Ms. Potter) are excellent. Overall, I found this to be a wonderful story, one that I enjoy reading to my little one. We both highly recommend this book!

I wanted to read more about Beatrix Potter. This book was interesting but a little slow.

Anyone who wants to know a little bit more about Beatrix Potter, the person, will be pleased with this book. Through real-life annecdotes John Heelis conveys what should be obvious but isn't - Beatrix Potter was not a perfect human being, she had tiny flaws just like the rest of us. Sometimes she got cranky, occasionally she was absent-minded with her head in the clouds but mostly she was wonderful - although quite strong willed and opinionated.

Those who are fascinated by Beatrix Potter will find the little book a great addition to their library. However, be forewarned - those who are buying this book for a voyeristic look into the intimate details of Beatrix Potter's married life will be sorely disappointed. This very private woman's private life remains private.

I'm going to be honest - I bought this book to more-or-less "complete" my collection of books on Versailles. The photos in this book are okay (any tourist could have done it, and the first two photos were shot through window to the interior so you can actually see a reflection the photographer). The majority of them have been shot from places most tourists wouldn't normally think to take a picture, which is good, but they're very small because the book itself is small, so you're not going to get the feeling that you're actually standing in the gardens at Versailles. I got the hardcover edition and it is really thick for such a small book, so it's a bit hard to keep open (the paperback MIGHT be slightly easier to use). Also, there is virtually no text accompanying the photos other than the tiny captions telling when and where the photo was taken, and a bit of text in the very back of the book - as an appendix. I don't know about you, but I like to know something about what it is I'm looking at. So, if you're looking for a book with detailed discriptions of the gardens, and intense, true-to-life photos that will make you feel as if you're really there, then this is NOT the book for you. If you only want a book with decent photos and don't mind a little struggling to keep it open, then you'll probably like it. I'm not planning to return it, but I don't find myself running back to it time, and time again. Get the paperback - it's cheaper!

The pictures in this book, by photographer Jean-Babtiste Leroux, are breathtaking. Somewhat in the style of the painter Claude Monet, many of the pictures are taken of various fountains, walk-ways, and other areas of the gardens at different times of day and in different types of weather. Another reviewer said that one can see the shadow of the photographer in some of these pictures, but they are actually reflections of nearby statues and other objects in the gardens. I only gave this book four stars because it is hard to keep open and I wish that the pictures were bigger. Although, the smaller size does allow the book to be more affordable.