But Meagan, Who Was Very Naughty, Ran Straight Away to Mr. McGregor's Garden.
Written: Sep 21 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Action! Suspense! Naughty Bunnies!
Cons: Sends a mixed message to the naughty bunny in all of us.
The Bottom Line: You may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden!
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| meagandowney's Full Review: The Tale of Peter Rabbit |
When I learned of dramastef and hadassahchana's Fight Illiteracy Write-Off, a little lump formed in my throat. I desperately wanted to think of the book read to me as a child that inspired a lifelong love of reading, but my memories of anything resembling "family time" are distorted at best - until I looked across the room and saw Beatrix Potter's "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" sitting on my bookshelf. I immediately remembered naptime at my grandmother's house in Milwaukee in the back bedroom where the 8-track played and I sat lost in the story of Peter Rabbit.
It's hard to believe that this classic tale of a rebellious little bunny was very nearly never published. Potter wrote it first as a picture letter to the son of her former governess in 1893 and her first attempt at getting it published didn't occur until seven years later, when it was rejected by several publishers. Still, Potter self-published an expanded version and the tale eventually reached the public in 1902 with Potter's own illustrations to accompany the text.
The story is told in first person, but as a babysitter might tell a story to her charge. The only "I"'s used are for comedic or dramatic effect (I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening.). The illustrations are simple watercolors that punctuate many moments throughout the tale, whether exciting or mundane. Part of what I always loved about this story was the generous ratio of illustrations to text. This makes the story particularly accessible to children ages 5 and up.
In case you've forgotten, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail are good little bunnies who heed their mother's warning about going into Mr. McGregor's garden where their father met his demise, but Peter is the naughty brother who treats his mother's words as if they were a challenge to eat the best lettuces and radishes in that forbidden place. Just when Peter begins to suffer from slight indigestion from such a feast, mean old Mr. McGregor sees him and the chase of Peter's life begins. He loses his shoes. He gets caught on a net. He hides in a watering can, but a sneeze betrays him. He has several close calls before he finally escapes from the garden and finds his way home, where he collapses and takes ill and is forced to sip camomile tea while his cherubic siblings get to drink milk and eat bread and blackberries for supper.
One of the most endearing aspects of the story is the imperfect hero we find in Peter, a child just like us who tests boundaries and then must find our way back home. Though I don't see myself as the type of person who rebels for rebellion's sake, I do push the envelope when the lettuce and beans are particularly sweet. Potter never gave Peter an easy out and I like that because it's true to life. If his mother had gone out looking for him and saved him from the dangerous adventures in Mr. McGregor's garden, this never would have become the classic that it is today. Seeing the consequences to Peter's insolence is important not just because it deters us from bad behavior, but also because it offers redemption in the lessons Peter learns along the way. He finds encouragement and hope in his immediate surroundings, and survives because of it.
Even though this story was written in 1893, the text is so simple that it's ageless. Even the few words used that are somewhat archaic were fun for me to learn as a child. I remember loving the mystery behind words like "fortnight," trying to guess what it meant and testing my guess against my grandmother's definition. I suppose there are some who would say that the tone is too stuffy, but words like "kertyschoo" and "lippity-lippity" offset any stuffiness for me. The language is certainly proper, but who wouldn't want their children to be exposed to proper English?
This book found me after a long, long absence. Lord only knows where my original copy of the book went. I've been through far too many moves, robberies, fires and related catastrophes to even venture a guess. Imagine the joy that filled my heart when, two months ago, a family friend gave this to my newborn daughter as a gift. I don't know if I would have remembered just how special "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" is to me if he hadn't given it to my family, and now I anxiously await the day when I can read this story to my daughter.
Little did the giftor know that his gift is three-fold - it will be treasured by my daughter, myself and now by a child in Mississippi who may need to learn about what happens to naughty bunnies just as much as I.
Recommended:
Yes
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meagandowney
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Member: Meagan Downey
Location: Chicago, IL
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