Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Nov 27, 2008

A true classic.

I don't recall reading Beatrix Potter as a child - but of course you seem to absorb the stories seemingly through societial osmosis.

I certainly look forward to reading the rest of the Peter Rabbit books. I note with interest in the inside cover that this book has been translated into Latin, which I suppose would be useful if we had a time machine!

Leaving behind the book itself you have to tip your cap at whoever does Beatrix Potter's tie-ins. More...

0 comments like

Dec 04, 2011

Manny rated it:

Inspired by Ramblefoot, a gritty, naturalistic, no-holds-barred depiction of the lives of wolves, I couldn't help wondering if similar treatments weren't possible for other classics. Here's an extract from my draft rabbit novel, provisionally entitled Nojacket:

Peter finished his breakfast, but the insipid, cloying taste of the dead dandelion leaves left him unsatisfied. The craving was starting to build up in him again. He needed to veg out. Suddenly, he started as a voice came from right behind

More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 23, 2011

Michael rated it:

This is a beautifully illustrated book for a book that was made over a 100 years ago. The characters relate to me to where I found myself when I was young doing things I shouldn't be doing, paying the price, and learning a lesson about it.

I found out about this eBook through Franklin Jr. They have a Facebook promotion going on right now that allows you to get the eBook free of charge onto your iPad or iPhone. Here are the details:

Facebook Promo: Free eBook The Tale of Pete More...

0 comments like

Nov 06, 2011

Isabella rated it:

i was bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More...

1 comment like

Oct 28, 2011

Megan rated it:

This book is a work of fantasy and is intended for primary readers. Peter Rabbit was warned by his mother not to get into mischief. Peter ventures into a garden where he is spotted by the farmer, Mr. McGregor. Peter barely escapes and later learns his lesson when he returns home and must suffer the consequences of misbehaving.
I rated this book five stars because it was one of my favorite books to read when I was younger. The illustrations, although small, bare great detail and give y More...

0 comments like

Sep 04, 2011

Rain rated it:

This is one of the children's books that I read for We Give Books, A Pearson Foundation Initiative to help children all around the world obtain books. It's an organization that gathers many campaigns in one spot on the web to encourage people to read many books for children. With every book you read, one gets donated to the campaign you signed up for. (There's quite a few campaigns available.) A very good friend of mine, Nicole Terazue, recommended this site to me since she knew I loved reading More...

0 comments like

Sep 01, 2011

Allison rated it:

Beatrix Potter's children's books are timeless and wonderful - the stories and the illustrations. The Tale of Peter Rabbit is surely her most famous one and it is a shame that more folks do not realize she has an entire host of characters and stories that are all equally wonderful.

Her characters are easy for children to identify with. Peter Rabbit immediately does the one thing that his mother has forbidden her children to do (going to Mr. McGregor's garden) despite knowing that his fa More...

0 comments like

Aug 27, 2011

Pamelabyoung rated it:

This tale was quite realistic to me as a child. I remember putting myself completely in the role of Peter and how very frightened I was of Farmer MacGregor. When Peter was caught in the gooseberry net my heart beat faster and when Peter cried and was comforted by sparrows, I must have decided that sparrows were friends since I am still enamored of these small creatures. I wonder why I didn't identify with Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail who "were good little bunnies"? In fact, I remember More...

0 comments like

Jul 28, 2011

Peter added it

Salient fact here: Peter's father was put in a pie by Mr and Mrs McGregor. And he was put in the pie because he had gone into Mr McGregor's garden. Under those circumstances, what's the most interesting, scary and exciting thing you could do as a young rabbit? Enter the garden, of course!

Peter is likeable; he isn't a tiresome trickster-figure like Brer Rabbit, but something more immediately like each of us. For rabbits and humans, a stress response is vital for survival. It heightens your awaren More...

0 comments like

Jun 11, 2011

Tasos rated it:

A really easy to read book with lovely images as the story went on..there were really some points that i spent much more time staring at the drawings (that are made the good old traditional way and not computer digitalized as in most of the modern books) than the text itself but still quite fun to read, following Peter a pretty naughty and courageous rabbit that despite his mother warnings decided to go inside a yard to find more food... As simple as it may seem this book has its point, the writ More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 19, 2009

K.D. rated it:

I also read this while inside the Booksale at Waltermart Munoz. So, it saved me money and space in my now crowded bedroom. I now own more than 800 books and my wife is already complaining!

This book is the first in the Rabbit series of Helen Beatrix Potter. If you saw the 2006 movie (starring the beautiful Renee Zellweger) of her life, she did not intend to become a writer as she was more of an illustrator. It was interesting because she is very good in both. As a proof, Peter Rabbit More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 05, 2012

Elijah. rated it:

I discovered the tales by Beatrix Potter through the movie Miss Potter, a lovely biography about the author. Off course I have to keep in mind that these stories are written for little children and not for grown men wanting to read something childish.
Having said that, I can see that Beatrix Potter is as much able of writing a good story, as she is of making beautiful drawings.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit is simple, quite predictable, but that doesn't really matter. It's sweet, ma More...

0 comments like

Sep 07, 2009

Sherrie rated it:

"The Tale of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter
There was a family of rabbits living in a sandbank under a big fir tree. Mrs. Rabbit and her four children. Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter. Mrs. Rabbit was going to the bakery and told the children they go into the fields to play, but not to go to MR. McGregor's garden. Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail went down the lane to gather blackberries, but Peter ran straight to Mr. McGregor's garden. Peter ran into a net and got caught. More...

0 comments like

Dec 27, 2011

Read2review rated it:

** For the full review please check out www.read2review.com **

The Tale Of Peter Rabbit is probably the most popular book that Beatrix Potter has written. It is beloved by many and has been reproduced all over the world for children and adults to enjoy.

I love the story now as much as I did when I was a child. The story itself has a very good moral – don’t steal. Peter gets into a mess when he attempts to eat from Mr McGregor’s garden. He man More...

0 comments like

Dec 02, 2011

Brad rated it:

So I think Manny and Beth-Ann have it spot on. Peter Rabbit dies in this book, and his escape is a moment-of-death fantasy. Peter is the Peyton Farquhar of kids books.

Farquhar, for those who don't remember, is the Alabama Confederate (gentleman farmer / non-combatant) from Ambrose Bierce's An Occurence on Owl Creek Bridge. He's strung up to a railroad bridge to be hanged by the Union soldiers, but his rope breaks and he pulls of a miraculous escape, only to have his escape end with More...

8 comments like (5 people liked it)

Feb 04, 2009

Manny rated it:

Some people like to find creative readings of books and films which hinge on interpreting key parts as dream sequences. A well-known example is The Piano, where it's reasonable to argue that Ada actually drowns. On this reading, the last few minutes are her dying fantasies as she floats deep underwater, helplessly trapped by the weight of the piano. The last thing you see is indeed her drowned body twisting in the current, and it's not clear which is dream and which is reality.

Beth A More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 11, 2009

earthy rated it:

Potter's tiny, detailed watercolors each get a page of their own, and rightly so: these images are beautiful classics which contain a sense of realism even though they depict little rabbits wearing coats and shoes. Plenty of white space around each illustration makes the pages easy to read without putting too much pressure on the eyes. The story's message is a bit heavy-handed—obey your parents or else you'll get in trouble!—but the combination of quaint illustrations and text make this story More...

0 comments like

Jan 01, 2012

Lesa rated it:

I came across this book today and realized that I had forgotten all about it. I didn't remember I'd read this as a child until I got to the part where Peter got stuck to the fence and started losing his clothes; then, as they say, it all came back to me.

This is an enjoyable, well illustrated, cute tale that should teach children the importance of obeying one's parents and not going off to do one's own thing, which is a lesson I seem to have missed despite having read this book early More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 04, 2010

jacky rated it:

I read several Beatrix Potter books as a child, and this one must have been one of them. (I have no recollection of the stories, but the physical little white books. It might have been that I was not an advanced enough reader to read them at the time I took them out of the library and instead just looked at the cute pictures). While Peter Rabbit is like the quintessential Potter book, I just found it okay. I felt bad for Peter even though he was being naughty. I found the strong moral of th More...

0 comments like

Jan 05, 2009

Mochibunbun123 rated it:

I learned to never leave my mom. It's a short book and good for little ones.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 12, 2010

Putri rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

May 25, 2009

Kathy rated it:

I absolutely love this book, and am becoming quite the fan of Beatrix Potter. We got these as a gift from our Special Nannie - who is a Bunny Fan. It's part of a nice box-set. But Kelly likes this story, I love it and the illustrations are beautiful! The writing is a bit above Kelly's head right now, but that's part of the charm of the book. She still understands the story, but the dialog is a bit sophisitcated. I'm glad this is part of her childhood, and I get to enjoy them too by reading them More...

0 comments like

Jun 08, 2011

Simon rated it:

I remember reading this and the impact that the idea of eating rabbits had on me. I viewed Mr. McGreggor as a monster and he was always the evil one to me.

I was glad that Peter had to learn a lesson about his mistakes and action, but at least it is a happy ending.

I read this at preschool and when it was a VHS I watched it all the time. I grew up and out of it and forgot about it all through my high school life. Just recently the memories washed over me when I read "1 More...

0 comments like

Dec 06, 2011

Carmen rated it:

Peter Rabbit disobeys his mom by going to the garden after he was forbidden to never go there considering it was where his father was killed. He winds up getting sick after eating in the garden and is almost meets the same fate as his father once he is spotted by Mr. McGregor. He winds up escaping but loses his clothing and returns home sick to his mother. This a good book to use in the classroom with younger students, especially when teaching on the topic of following the rules, and obeying More...

0 comments like

Nov 01, 2011

Liz rated it:

I reread this familiar tale for the first time in decades. The story itself seems a bit didactic. The moral of the story is good things come to "good little boys and girls" and those who do not follow the rules miss out on the reward.

The story is relatable for young readers. They can identify with Peter and his desire to do the one thing his mother reminds him not to do. As children exploring the forbidden is very tempting. Students could make connections to this text--i More...

0 comments like

Feb 23, 2011

David rated it:

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter was her first book, and a classic, written over a century ago. Peter Rabbit, his mother and sisters, live in a sandbank under a fir tree. Disobeying his mother, Peter deliberately goes into Mr. McGregor's garden, where his father met his demise. After eating a bit too much, Peter runs right into Mr. McGregor, who chases him. Peter loses both his shoes, then gets caught in a gooseberry net by his jacket buttons. Encouraged by friendly sparrows, Peter sli More...

0 comments like

Aug 20, 2009

Graham rated it:

A wonderful little children's book. Like many Victorian works for children, this one is a simple morality story that warns against disobedience, but it's so much more than that as well. The simple tale is full of action, excitement and elegant description and it's perfectly complemented by superb illustrations.

Anyone with a love of nature will adore Potter's stories. Watching rabbits playing in a field through my office window as I write this, I can't think of anything more lovely an More...

0 comments like

Oct 23, 2010

Carol rated it:

Published: 1901
Grade Level: PreK-

I love Beatrix Potter's tale about Peter and his adventures. I loved reading this book over and over as a child. I have even bought this book for friends. I always loved how Peter was just like any other little child who was mischievous. He wore people clothes and had people problems, but was just a little rabbit. The pictures that Beatrix Potter added were so simple and engaging. They were not too busy, but captured the moment in the story.

0 comments like

Sep 29, 2010

Monalisa added it

They were four rabbits that lived with old mother rabbit. There n the house but were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton tail, and Peter rabbit. One day mother rabbit had to go to town and she told them not leave house and do not go Mr. McGregor's farm. Peter rabbit disobeyed and went. He was chased by Mr. McGregor who almost caught him. He finally escaped and made it home. He was so tired when he got home that he could not eat dinner so his family ate all the food while he sleep.

0 comments like

Jan 29, 2011

Daniel rated it:

I was flipping through a copy of this book at the bookstore the other evening, idly thinking about when to purchase it for my baby niece. I was taken back to my elementary school days, and a grade 3 class where we DEVOURED Beatrix Potter for almost two solid weeks. Timeless, sublime brilliance for all ages.

If you need any more confirmation of it's brilliance...keep in mind it's the book the Doctor is reading aloud to K9 in "The Creature from the Pit"! :-)

0 comments like

reviews