Beatrix Potter

A Life in IllustrationsBy Marguerite Prout

Early Years

Once Upon a Time…there was a young married

couple named, Rupert and Helen Potter. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were blessed one day with a baby girl. They named her Helen Beatrix Potter…

Early Years - Fast Facts

• Helen Beatrix Potter– born July 28, 1866 in London, England

• Named after her mother, but called “Beatrix”

• Beatrix was six years old when she welcomed her brother, Bertram, into the family. He would become her best friend (along with the animals).

• Miss McKenzie, the family nurse, raised Beatrix and her brother on the third floor of their home.

Early Years - Fast Facts cont.

• Beatrix and Bertram:– spent most of their time in the nursery– were home schooled by a governess, Miss Hammond– rarely played with friends their own age, parents

strict– often took long walks to the park

Early Years - Fast Facts cont.• Beatrix Also:

¯ kept a diary and created a secret code that only she could read

¯ was very shy and lonely as a child¯ She often became ill with bronchitis and rheumatic fever,

which weakened her heart (Wallner, 9)• Beatrix and Bertram

• Kept animals in their nursery classroom.They kept: rabbits, beetles, caterpillars, mice(named Hunca Munca andAppley Dapply), frogs,hedgehogs, lizards, bats, newts,a tortoise(Malam, 10) and a rabbit (named Peter)

• Beatrix began to paint and draw whenshe was young. She loved to paint plantsin detail.

Summering in the Lake District

The Potters like to summer in the Lake District, in Scotland.

Summering in the Lake District - Fast Facts

• Beatrix would take her pets, carefully placedin boxes, for the long train ride.

• Annie Carter, the new governess for Beatrix,would often travel with the Potters to the Lake District.

• During her summers in Scotland, Beatrix would dreamof becoming a Scientist.

Scientist Years• Beatrix developed a strong love of nature when she was

quite young.

• Beatrix and her bother would keep animals in their nursery classroom (even keeping the skeletons of dead

animals.)

• Beatrix also studied art and would draw detailed pictures of animals and nature.

• Beatrix wrote a scientific paper about how mushrooms and toadstools grew, but wasnever able to present her paper because shewas a woman.

Scientist Years - Fast Facts

• So…Instead of focusing on written paper, Beatrix now

focused her attention on drawings…

Author Years“I have just made stories to please myself, because I never

grew up.” - Beatrix Potter

• When Beatrix turned 24 she decided totry to sell her sketches.

• She was successful! She sold manysketches to a greeting card company.

• She earned some money, but was stillunable to live on her own.

Author Years - Fast Facts

• A little later Beatrix wanted to cheer up Noel, son ofher past governess, Annie Moore.

• One night, while thinking of Noel and her art,she began to write…

“My Dear Noel,I don’t know what to write to you, so I shalltell you a story about four little rabbits who names are Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottentail, and Peter…” (Wallner, 17)

Author Years - Fun Facts cont.

• Beatrix tried and tried to make a living on her art and science, but found that it was too hard.

• Years later, Beatrix borrowed back Noel’s note and turned that note into a story about four little rabbits.

• Beatrix sent the story to several publishers, only to be turned down.

• She did NOT give up, and decided to publish 250 copies with her own money!

Author Years - Fun Facts cont.

• A publisher found her book, asked for her to rewrite the text and produce larger pictures, but she would not budge!

• She wanted little hands to hold her little tales.

• She got her way! In 1902,The Tale of Peter Rabbit waspublished!

Personal Years

“Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality.” - Beatrix Potter

• Beatrix bought a home on Hilltop Farm in the Lake District.

• She fell in love twice…– Once with her editor Norman Warne (who would

later fall ill and die before they could marry)- Next with William Heelis, a lawyer, whom she married in 1913

Personal Years - Fun Facts

• Beatrix spent the rest of her life in the Lake District always giving to people, to animals, and to nature.

• Beatrix Potter died in 1943 leaving her land to the British National Trust (protecting land from change). (Malan, 20)

Well Known Works - Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Peter Rabbit The Tale of Samuel Whiskers orThe Tale of Squirrel Nutkin The Roly-Poly PuddingThe Tailor of Gloucester The Tale of The Flopsy BunniesThe Tale of Benjamin Bunny The Tale of Ginger and PicklesThe Tale of Two Bad Mice The Tale of Mrs. TittlemouseThe Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle The Tale of Timmy TiptoesThe Tale of The Pie and The The Tale of Mr. Tod

Patty-Pan The Tale of Pigling BlandThe Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher Appley Dapply’s Nursery RhymsThe Story of A Fierce Bad Rabbit The Tale of Johnny Town-MouseThe Story of Miss Moppet Cecily Parsley’s Nursery RhymesThe Tale of Tom Kitten The Tale of Little Pig RobinsonThe Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck (Wallner, 25)

Honors Awarded to Miss Potter

“If I have done anything - even a little to help small children on the road to enjoy and appreciate honest, simple pleasure,

I have done a bit of good.” - Beatrix Potter -

At the time Beatrix Potter was illustrating and writing, there were few awards to win. However, she was a well known author during her life,

selling millions of copies of her books.

Further Exploration with Miss Potter

• Check Out These Sites– http://www.peterrabbit.com/?territory=1&country=1– http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/trlout_gfx_en/TRA14360.html

– http://www.hop-skip-jump.com/– http://www.beatrixpottersociety.org.uk/– http://wiredforbooks.org/kids.htm– http://wiredforbooks.org/kids/beatrix/p1.htm

• Check Out This Movie- http://www.misspotter-themovie.com/

BibliographyFrederick Warne and Company. (2002). Peter Rabbit and Friends from

Beatrix Potter. Retrieved July 2, 2008, from http://www.peterrabbit.com/?territory=1&country=1.

Lear, Linda. (2007). Beatrix Potter - A Life in Nature. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Malam, John. (1997). Tell Me About Beatrix Potter. Minnesota: Carolrhoda Books.

Wallner, Alexandra. (1995). Beatrix Potter. New York: Holiday House.

Winter, Jeanette. (2003). Beatrix Potter. New York: Frances Foster Books.