Book Inspirations

A common question I am asked is where I get my inspiration for my characters. The answer is that I am inspired from many different things! But if you are seeking something more specific, you may read the following:

Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny were both pets I kept.

The Tailor of Gloucester was a real tailor in Gloucester! (and a true story, except that the tailor’s assistants helped him out, and not mice. But mice are so enchanting, do you not think so?)

Hunca Munca, of The Tale of Two Bad Mice fame, was another pet had at the time, as was Mrs. Tiggy-winkle.

Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit and the kittens (including Tom) are based from little kitties that ran about at my farm in the Lake District called Hill Top.

Jemima Puddle-duck as a duck at Hill Top. And because ducks often forget to sit on their eggs to help them hatch, the farmer’s wife would take the duck eggs and place them under the chickens. But Jemima really did try hard to keep track of them and found a nest quite far from the farm eventually.

And, many of the settings were based from Hill Top and the village of Sawrey- a lovely place to be!


Sources
Lane, Margaret. The Magic Years of Beatrix Potter. Frederick Warne Publishers: London, 1978, pp. 49, 72, 82, 132, 152, 155, 181.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

The Tale of Peter Rabbit, first published in 1902, is my first and perhaps most well known story. I wrote the book many times and it was originally named The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor’s Garden. Many people did not want to publish my book however because there were no colorful pictures. After working on some illustrations and shortening the title, I was finally able to complete a book I was proud of that would be published for children and adults to read.

Anyway, I have gotten off topic, back to our loveable, trouble making rabbit, Peter, and his story. In this story Peter and his three siblings leave the house to go out into the woods. Although they had been warned by their mother to avoid Mr. McGregor and his garden, Peter’s curiosity gets the better of him and he sneaks under the gate to have a feast. He soon gets lost in the vast garden and is spotted by Mr. McGregor. Furious, Mr. McGregor chases him through the garden and into the tool shed yelling and shaking a gardening tool in hopes of hurting Peter. After much persistence, Mr. McGregor thankfully does not find Peter and eventually he goes back to his work.

But Peter still has the problem of getting out of the garden. After observing a few other animals in the garden, Peter finally spots the gate and makes a mad dash, only narrowly escaping Mr. McGregor. Peter returns home without his shoes or his jacket and begins to feel ill. His mother puts him to bed with only chamomile tea for dinner, while his three siblings receive delicious blackberries, milk, and bread.

This book, like my others are intended to teach a lesson or moral. Do you know what the lesson of this story is? Well children, if you do not know, I will tell you. Children should always obey their parents because they know what is best. Peter chose to disobey his mother and was almost killed, lost all his clothes, and fell ill while his siblings snacked on berries all afternoon and were rewarded with more berries that night.