Thursday 21 January 2021

Rabbiting On

Around 6.45 each evening, we get a WhatsApp call from Rosie "Please can I have a bedtime story?" It is good for her to have a proper conversation with someone other than Mum and Dad- and she sits, bathed and pyjama-ed, waiting on her bed for the story. "You guys, I've made a stand for the phone with my Lego!" she announced brightly. This has helped, she's a bit of a fidget and I was getting a bit seasick when her screen was bobbing about so much.

We are currently working our way through the Beatrix Potter stories. Bob holds the book, whilst I tell the tale, and vice versa.

BP was one very gifted woman. At the start of the twentieth century, she was already an accomplished artist and scientific illustrator. She wrote a paper on the development of fungi spores- but women were not allowed to present papers, so a friend presented it for her. The work was never published- but to this day, her significant contribution to mycological research is acknowledged.

BP first drew and wrote about Peter Rabbit in 1901, and self-published, as Frederick Warne had turned her down. The 250 copies were so successful that Warne recanted, took her on board and agreed to publish all her little animal stories, provided she illustrated them in colour.

BP felt strongly about merchandising her work- and that all the items should be of the highest quality, and remain faithful to her illustrations. Peter Rabbit is the world's oldest licensed literary character. Here's an early plush toy - made by the German high-end toymakers, Steiff.

She also designed and marketed a Peter Rabbit Race Game. Romance blossomed between Miss Potter and her editor, Norman Warne. The family disapproved, he was 'in trade' - but despite them, the pair got engaged- and sadly Norman died a month later of leukaemia. Beatrix was devastated. She was thirty nine when this all happened. Poor woman!

But by now she was very wealthy from her books - she moved up to her beloved Lake District and purchased a lot of land, and  Hill Top Farm. William Heelis, the solicitor who assisted her in this proposed- they were married in 1912 and lived very happily for 30 years at the farm till her death in 1943.She purchased fifteen farms, and really committed herself to helping the local community. She bequeathed 4000 acres, plus Hill Top to the National Trust on her death - requesting the Farmhouse stay exactly as it was for her. Thousands of visitors see her home each year [well, apart from 2020!]

I confess that at the moment, we are modifying the words a bit. Some of the vocabulary is a little archaic for Rosie, and we cannot stop every two minutes to explain, she loses interest in the plot. I've realised that our two large format books, which have 8 stories in them do not include The Tailor Of Gloucester. That is definitely my favourite- its all about sewing! When the girls were at primary school, we took them up to the Tate Gallery [now 'Tate Britain'] for their special Christmas BP exhibition. They had all sorts of things on show- including, on loan from the V&A the actual waistcoat she had copied for her illustrations.

Rosie seems to like the stories- but has asked where Lily Bobtail is. How do you explain to a child that this character was added in a century later, by an American production company? That this is a 'based-on the stories of..' and not true to the original?

I wonder what BP would make of it? She was a shrewd businesswoman, and might like the marketing - but somehow I think she'd be a little disappointed by the slick animation and alterations to the tales...

You can watch these new stories here on CBeebies. Personally, I'd rather cuddle up, with a little pocket-sized book and read the original tales to Rosie [with Grandad Bob supplying all the sound effects]



19 comments:

  1. How lovely that you are able to read bedtime stories to Rosie, even when you can't be with her! I remember reading about Peter Rabbit to my daughter when she was a little girl. I think I might still have the Beatrix Potter Treasury, a large book containing all the stories, that I bought for her, in a box in the garage!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I cannot find my "Little books" - I'm using two large books of collected stories.

      Delete
  2. Our children were brought up on BP stories. She was actually a serious farmer and was a considerable influence in preserving and improving Herdwick sheep, a hardy hill breed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure you were able to add extra details. I love JanFs comment below about Herdwick wool

      Delete
    2. Thanks for mentioning that. See my post lower down!

      Delete
  3. Just seen your 80 days to retirement comment on Sues Blog. Exciting!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I often wonder what she would have made of the thousands of tourists who descend each year on Hilltop, and make the area an almost no-go zone for locals ☹️. Perhaps I might go down that way this Spring whilst air travel is curetailed . . .

    ReplyDelete
  5. I do hope Rosie has learned the word 'soporific' which was one of the first that I remember queying when my mum read them to me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rosie LOVES big words, she soaks them up like a sponge. I suspect it's in her genes

      Delete
  6. We love those little books. When I was pregnant with M I got the box set (then still books and not lurid DVDs) and it has travelled with us to many Lake District holidays. We also love Hill Top, and the interpretive centre in Windermere - I'm sure you'll all take Rosie to both magical places On The Other Side!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beatrix Potter was very forward thinking. I love that you read to your granddaughter each evening and I'm sure she will remember this in years to come. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a win-win situation. She loves the story, we love the interaction, and her parents enjoy a brief respite from intense childcare.

      Delete
  8. What a lovely thing to do with your granddaughter. This will create memories for the future.

    ReplyDelete
  9. We have a pile of 12 of those little books, a few were bought at Hilltop and have a special label inside to say so.
    I have Peter Rabbit and Pierre Lapin, that is the only one we bought in another language. We also bought a booklets " Lakeland Walks from Beatrix Potter" by Wybbe Bartlett. Beatrix helped save the Herdwick brand of sheep. I bought a cone of the Herdwick yarn and knitted my husband a sweater. It's so tough they make carpets out of it, will never wear out and I had to stop knitting every few hours as it chafed my fingers!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I read all the BP books to my boys when they were little. I was surprised how unsentimental the stories are. There is an underlying sadness in many of them but they never minded that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure Rosie has understood that Peters Dad got eaten!

      Delete

Always glad to hear from you - thanks for stopping by!
I am blocking anonymous comments now, due to excessive spam!