The Tale of Peter Rabbit Picture Book

Beatrix Potter

Warne, 2023

32pp., boar book., RRP $A16.99

9780241606339

In 1902 publishers Frederick Warne & Co. took a punt on publishing a children’s book that had been privately printed but rejected by other publishers.  

Not only were the stories of Peter Rabbit and the infamous Mr McGregor’s garden were available to children around the world, but also their iconic format of small books with white covers, glossy pages and lots of white space around the pictures and text.  In 2022, a new edition with a splendid gold cover was released to mark the 120th anniversary of that first publication, and now it is available in board book format so little hands can read it for themselves, over and over. .  

As with the 2022 edition, this is the original tale with Peter at his most adventurous, cheekiest and lovable self as he wriggles into Mr. McGregor’s garden, with Beatrix Potter’s original text and her beautifully engaging illustrations.

When it was first released, creator Beatrix Potter patented a Peter Rabbit doll in 1903 and followed it almost immediately with a Peter Rabbit board game. becoming one of the first to introduce broader merchandise to accompany the core product and thus Peter has featured on a range of goods for both children and adults, including toys, dishes, foods, clothing, and movies, thus establishing his familiarity and popularity with succeeding generations.  

If you, or someone you know, is establishing a library of must-have children’s classics, then this is an essential. And having whet the appetite, continue to share the joy with the others in her repertoire

Book 1: The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)
Book 2: The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (1903)
Book 3: The Tailor of Gloucester (1903)
Book 4: The Tale of Benjamin Bunny (1904)
Book 5: The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904)
Book 6: The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (1905)
Book 7: The Tale of The Pie and the Patty-Pan (1905)
Book 8: The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher (1906)
Book 9: The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit (1906)
Book 10: The Story of Miss Moppet (1906)
Book 11: The Tale of Tom Kitten (1907)
Book 12: The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck (1908)
Book 13: The Tale of Samuel Whiskers (1908)
Book 14: The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies (1909)
Book 15: The Tale of Ginger and Pickles (1909)
Book 16: The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse (1910)
Book 17: The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes (1911)
Book 18: The Tale of Mr. Tod (1912)
Book 19: The Tale of Pigling Bland (1913)
Book 20: Appley Dapply’s Nursery Rhymes (1917)
Book 21: The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse (1918) 
Book 22: Cecily Parsley’s Nursery Rhymes (1922)
Book 23: The Tale of Little Pig Robinson (1930)

And don’t forget the recently-discovered Book 24 – The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots.

Few children’s stories have withstood the test of time and generations for 120 years, and so that in itself is testament to the quality of the story, its illustrations and its popularity.  It truly deserves the tag of “classic”.