A Beatrix Potter Treasury

by Beatrix Potter

Ten of Beatrix Potter's most popular tales are brought together in this beautiful jacketed hardcover treasury. The tales trace the life of Beatrix Potter from her first publication in of The Tale of Peter Rabbit 1902 to her later tales set around her farm, Hill Top. A wonderful illustrated introduction provides background on Beatrix Potter and the people and places that inspired her writing.

Genres: Classics, Childrens, Fiction, Picture Books, Fantasy, Animals, Short Stories

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1978

About the author

Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, mycologist, and conservationist who is best known for her children's books, which featured animal characters such as Peter Rabbit.

Born into a wealthy household, Potter was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. She had numerous pets, and through holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, developed a love of landscape, flora, and fauna, all of which she closely observed and painted. Because she was a woman, her parents discouraged intellectual development, but her study and paintings of fungi led her to be widely respected in the field of mycology.

In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit and became secretly engaged to her publisher, Norman Warne, causing a breach with her parents, who disapproved of his social status. Warne died before the wedding.

Potter eventually published 24 children's books, the most recent being The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots (2016), and having become financially independent of her parents, was able to buy a farm in the Lake District, which she extended with other purchases over time.

In her forties, she married a local solicitor, William Heelis. She became a sheep breeder and farmer while continuing to write and illustrate children's books. Potter died in 1943 and left almost all of her property to The National Trust in order to preserve the beauty of the Lake District as she had known it, protecting it from developers.

Potter's books continue to sell well throughout the world, in multiple languages. Her stories have been retold in various formats, including a ballet, films, and in animation.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a gift from a friend in a groups Christmas exchange. I found it lovely as I always wanted to own a Potter book 😊

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beatrix Potter Treasury is a collection of ten best loved Beatrix Potter tales constructed into a thick and beautiful hardcover treasury.

In addition to the ten tales you get an entire section which outlines Beatrix Potter's life story from birth including photographs. original drawings, and letters.

Stories include The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, The Tale of Tom Kitten, The Tale of Samuel Whiskers and more. Our favorite The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher wasn't included as the treasury only contains the most popular stories, but we still adored the book.

The tales include the original illustrations, some in black and white, and some in color. Each tale also has an "about the book" page in the front containing facts and descriptions for each.

This is a must for any Beatrix Potter aficionado. This would also be a wonderful baby shower gift for new parents.

5*****

[Sarah Grace Grzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming and delightful! I love my beautiful duck egg blue copy! These are stories I will read to my children someday . . . :)

[Kylee Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so cute I can’t wait to read it to my kids one day 🙌🏼🤩

[Gaynor · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a perfect book to kick-off my reading year with 'www.goodreads.com'. Received as a gift from an adored friend who knows my life long love with all things Beatrix this Treasury is indeed a gem. Filled with original photographs, sketches and the miniature letters written to the young children in her life, the journey from imagination to print unfolds. At the start of each best loved tale is another individual description of the inspiration behind the story. A most remarkable woman blessed with a truly original imagination and an artistic and literary talent that is beyond compare.

(and I have Miss Potter to thank for teaching me my first big-girl word, and to this day I cannot eat lettuce without thinking of it's soporific effect!)

[Lizze Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Part of the conspiracy to stupefy our children and cause wide spread illiteracy. The modernization of Beatrix Potter’s charming phrases is a paltry substitute.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute 🙂 Some of the stories were stranger than others and sometimes I wasn’t quite sure what the “lesson” or really the story in general was supposed to be about…but the illustrations are lovely and it’s definitely an adventure for the imagination 🙂

[BRNTerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for ISBN 9780723259572.

This hardcover book includes ten of Beatrix's 24 stories. Printed on the book itself are the same images found on the dust jacket. The book is 10.25"x8 x.75". Here's the table of contents, back cover. The front and back of the inside is light blue with white outlines of various animals, which you can't see in the photo.

There's a 17-page biography of Beatrix at the very beginning that's filled with photos of her and some of her early drawings. There's information about the origins of each of these ten stories but at the beginning of each story is a similar telling of those facts.

Fourteen of her stories were made into nine short animated films and shown in the UK and US from 1992-1998. They've been put on DVD many times and some DVDs have all nine episodes.
____________________________________

The Tale of Peter Rabbit- Peter and his three sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail live under the root of a fig tree with their mother. He eats vegetables from Mr. McGregor's garden and loses his jacket trying to escape. He gets sick from overeating so that's his punishment for stealing.

According to information in this book, this story originated as an illustrated story in a letter Beatrix wrote to her ex-governess' son. She asked to borrow the letters so she could write the story. See the letter here and here.

The Tale of Benjamin Bunny- Benjamin and cousin Peter are out looking for Peter's coat and shoes, which are in Mr. McGregor's garden. They take some vegetables. The saw a female cat so they hid under a basket. The cat laid on the basket. Benjamin's father, old Mr. Benjamin Bunny, was out looking for his son. He was smoking a pipe and was carrying a switch. He jumped down on the cat, hit her and kicked her into the greenhouse and locked her in. He whipped Benjamin with the switch.

I don't like the violence in this story but I like the illustrations very much. Benjamin's outfit, because of Mr. McGregor's hat, is my favorite of all the outfits from any of her stories.

This story was inspired by a rabbit Beatrix had years before who liked hot buttered toast and sweets.

The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies- Mr. McGregory found the Flopsy bunnies, the children of Peter's sister Flopsy and their cousin Benjamin, sleeping in his yard so he put them in a paper bag without waking them and sat the bag aside. Their parents couldn't find them and suspected they may be in the bag so they told Mrs. Tittlemouse about it. She nibbled a hole in the bottom corner of the bag so they could be rescued. They were pulled out and pinched! to wake them up. They filled the bag with rotting vegetables so fool Mr. McGregor. They watched him take the bag home and "throw" it down "in a way that would have been extremely painful" to the rabbits had they been in the bag. Mrs. Tittlemouse was rewarded with rabbit fur to make winter clothes with.

This story is set in the garden of Beatrix's uncle's house in Wales.

The Tale of Mr. Tod- I didn't care for this story at all and it was her longest one. It was like two different stories thrown together with abducted bunnies to tie them together. Benjamin Bunny's father, "old" Mr. Benjamin Bunny, his name is changed in this story to old Mr. Bouncer. Tommy is a badger who's a nuisance who smells something awful. Mr. Tod, the fox, finds him sleeping in his bed so he plays a water prank on him then they get into a physical fight that ends up outside. Mr. Bouncer is in charge of watching the seven twin Flopsy rabbits but loses site of them. Flopsy smacks him for that. They figure out they've been stashed in Mr. Tod's oven by Tommy so when Tommy and Mr. Tod are outside fighting, Peter and Benjamin sneak in and take the bunnies home.

This story features real-life landscapes of villages in Near Sawrey.

The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit- This may be the shortest story of all of Beatrix's. A mean rabbit is picking on another one and gets what he had coming to him.

This was written for Beatrix's editor's daughter who wanted her to write about a bad rabbit.

The Tale of Tom Kitten- Tom has two sisters, Moppet and Mittens. His mother is Tabitha Twitchit. The three kittens get very dirty playing outside and Tom loses some buttons from his coat. Their mom finds them sitting on a wall outside and smacks them and takes them home. While they're out there before their mom shows up, Jemima Puddle-duck and her family show up.

Beatrix borrowed a kitten for this story so she could use for the drawings.

The Tale of Jemima Puddle-duck- She encounters a sly fox while she's out searching for a nesting place. He offers her the use of his woodshed. He plans to eat her and her eggs but a collie dog named Kep and his canine friends rescue her. Now this is a story I like! I like the predator fox and what he's up to. This story sounds more like a Grimm's fairy tale.

This was inspired by ducks Beatrix saw in Putney Park in London while she was there visiting a cousin.

The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or the Roly-Poly Pudding- Tabitha Twitchit has her cousin and neighbor Ribby over. They can't find Tom and his sisters. The sisters are hiding from two rats who were stealing from the kitchen. Tom finds them in the attic and gets trussed up by them. They wrap him in dough to make a dumpling out of him but a dog named John shows up and rescues him. The two rats get away with stolen goods. Moppet and Mittens become professional rat catchers.

Samuel was inspired by a real pet rat Beatrix had named Sammy. When she bought her farm, Top Hill, it was infested with rats and I guess Sammy was one of them.

The Pie and the Patty Pan- Ribby the cat from The Tale of Samuel Whiskers invites a female dog friend named Duchess over for tea. Duchess is worried that Ribby will serve her a mouse pie so she brings another pie over and sneaks it onto the second rack in her oven. The plan backfires. Kind of a strange tale because of how terrified she is at the thought of eating mouse pie.

The dog was inspired by two Pomeranians that belonged to the wife of a gardener Beatrix knew.

The Tale of Ginger and Pickles- Another strange story. Ginger is an orange cat and Pickles is a brown terrier dog. They run a shop called Ginger and Pickles but make no money because they allow everyone to put things on credit but the customers never pay their bills. So they close shop. That's it, folks.

The story is based on a real shop in Near Sawrey.

[Corinne Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Beatrix Potter. Her short little stories are perfect for young attention spans and the illustrations are so beautiful. This treasury has three fantastic stories - The Tales of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny and the Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies. My kids loved those first three, the characters are so human-like and the animals always seem to find their way out of trouble.

The Tale of Mr. Tod, however, is incredibly long and a bit dull, even for me. I was disappointed that two or three other small stories weren't included. If you love Beatrix Potter, I'd look for a different compilation.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Beatrix Potter Treasury, which I've had for longer than I can remember, has been a very important part of my childhood. I think the stories that stuck out to me the most were Peter Rabbit and The Roly Poly Pudding. I found them appropriately suspenseful for people of all ages, which is enough to keep you interested, and not enough to be terribly disturbing for the younger ones.

[Melody Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favourite. But re-reading these stories as an adult has me realizing just how genius they are; Potter tries to explain the behaviour of animals through very human stories. This is wonderful for children and the development of their creativity. Child or adult however, I think everyone should read these stories.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never read these as a child, but after watching - and loving - the movie Miss Potter, I had to try her work. I really enjoyed the stories and, especially, the illustrations!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this one for a couple of years now. I bought it when I attended a museum exhibit on Beatrix Potter, and I've been reading it--one story at a time--since then. I find the world of Beatrix Potter a fascinating one. I enjoy some of these stories more than others. Many of them are untraditional in that there is no moral or even plot. She just gives a little slice of life for her animal characters. I think her Peter Rabbit stories are the best (probably why they are the most well known) because they do show something of a moral; the story is focused on Peter and him learning what happens when he doesn't listen to his momma. But all in all, it is fun to see the characters she developed and the drawings she made to go with them, and to learn a little more about this fascinating woman and her life.

[Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Treasury of Stories Originally Created by Beatrix Potter is a beautiful, hardcover and colourfully illustrated collection of some of the author's best short children's stories. The anthology contains well-known classics such as Peter Rabbit and Miss Moppet as well as lesser known stories as Squirrel Nutkin and Flopsy Bunnies .

As is typical in Potter's style, the stories largely centre around animals as the primary characters. The entire collection is incredible sweet and wholesome. It makes for a good bedtime story collection. Further, the quality of the book is superb - it's a great family keepsake (I've had my copy since childhood and it's still in great condition) and would be a meaningful baby shower/first birthday gift.

[Pyramids Ubiquitous · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read through Folio Society's Heritage Potter collection, which I can't seem to locate on this website. On a whim this spring, I felt the overwhelming desire to re-read the stories that my father used to read to me at bedtime growing up. My most vivid memories are of him reading Beatrix Potter stories, though despite my potent memories of him reading I couldn't recall what any of these stories were about other than pictures of animals. In fact, I'm pretty certain I made up stories myself using the pictures. Naturally, I was a bit alarmed at how dark some of these stories are (the plot twist of Jemima Puddleduck really shocked me), but overall the charm is just as I remember it. Potter's strength is in writing these unique anthropomorphized personalities that stick in your mind forever.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read most of these stories. The stories themselves are ok. I liked the introductions to each and the bio at the beginning. We combined it with learning about B. Potter through several picture book biographies -- the best by far being Saving the Countryside: The Story of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit Knowing more about her made us appreciate the stories and illustrations even more.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and adorable flash back into my childhood with the wonderful art and adorable stories by Beatrix Potter. This is definitely only a small little group of her stories when there are so many. I also really like the first section of this book that gives a bit of a background of our author and her life and ideas.

Sweet book, good for kids and adults alike!

[Bill Stutzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always wonderful with amazing illustrations. Beatrix Potters set the modern standard for illustrated children's books. Not always perfect or expected, these characters and tales continue to find their way to the next generation over and over again. I appreciated the introductory material which gave some history and context, adding insight to the process, characters, and illustrations as well.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the whimsical way she writes...upsetting plants and things like that...scratch scratching of mr McGregor's ho always scares the kids...the other stories have some fun in them too like the tale of the two mice wrecking entire entire doll house. Kids love these stories in their entirety.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved getting the chance to read these stories. As a kid I LOVED watching the VHS stories, so as an adult it was a wonderful trip down memory lane! I will definitely be keeping so I can read these stories to my kids some day.

[Ryan Dash · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. The language is a bit dated, and the text can sometimes be a little too long-winded or descriptive. That said, most of the stories are reasonably entertaining, and set up interesting characters with little space.

[Jamie Humphreys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read this to my students in hopes that they would enjoy it, but was afraid it wouldn't grab their attention. They loved it! I did have to explain that it was going to have differences from the current Peter Rabbit movie. I was so pleased that they enjoyed a classic book like this one.

[SJ West · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review here is most certainly not of Beatrix Potter because, of course, for young readers these stories are delightful. I just wouldn't choose this treasury again if I had the chance. There were delightful stories missing within its pages and I'm seeking out a full collection instead.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of our favorite read aloud books. My daughter really enjoys these stories and there’s a ton of cute illustrations throughout. She loves Tom Kitten and I love Beatrix Potters’s continued references to Mrs Rabbit as old.

[Sanderella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first time I've read any of Miss Potter's books and it shall be the last. I would not read these stories to my children. Maybe back in the day, they were entertaining but not now 🙅‍♀️ I did enjoy most of the artwork.

[Darth Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really nice collection of her tales. I enjoyed the little rhymes much more than the stories though.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just utterly charming and enjoyable. Potter's illustrations add to her stories and enhance them.

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids (6, 4, 2) love these stories. Beautiful illustrations and timeless tales.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable stories, of course, with gorgeous illustrations.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great collection.