Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter

Have you read The Tale of Peter Rabbit? It’s a very famous children’s

book, written by Beatrix Potter.

Beatrix was born in 1866. She and her brother kept many small

animals as pets – rabbits, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, mice, frogs and

even bats! They both liked to draw their pets, but Beatrix liked

drawing animals from her own imagination most. She also loved

exploring and drawing nature when they visited beautiful places like Scotland and the Lake District.

Beatrix was very smart, and studied archaeological artefacts, fossils and insects, but she was

especially interested in mycology – the study of mushrooms! She even wrote a scientific paper

about it, but women at that time couldn’t be scientists.

To earn some money, Beatrix started drawing cards with animals. She liked writing and illustrating

letters too. One day, she wrote a letter to her friend’s son, and told the story of Peter Rabbit.

She decided to make the story into a book. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in 1902 – and it

was a great success! She wrote, illustrated and published many more books. She also created dolls,

painting books, games and other items based on her characters.

In 1905, Beatrix bought a farm in the Lake District. She learned about farming and bought more

farms and land to help preserve the landscape. She enjoyed country life very much, and was very

active in protecting the environment.

When Beatrix died, she left almost all her farms and land to the National Trust, a charity which

protects historic places and landscapes. You can even visit Hill Top Farm today, which is exactly like

it was when Beatrix lived there!

So if you haven’t read The Tale of Peter Rabbit, or other Beatrix Potter books, why not visit your local

library or bookshop today!