Beatrix Potter´s paintings and stories still capture the attention of many today. There´s something about imagining a secret life of animals similiar to humans that makes it all the more fascinating. I remember the first time my sister gave me one of her books. It was "The Roly Poly Pudding" also known as "The Tale of Samuel Whiskers"which was about a very naughty kitten and a family of mice that decided to eat him. It was so scandelous for me because it is usually the other way round...you know! The cat usually eats the mouse! However, in this story the mice planned to eat the kitten. I thought it was hillarious. All the characters were really adorable and they all had really great stories. I started to picture myself and neighbors as animals dressed up in Victorian era clothing with their personalities and it was all really fun.
If you were an forest animal what would you be?
I bet most of you know the 2018 movie "Peter Rabbit" well it's based on her famous book "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" of course now, it has a new twist to it, but it's still pretty popular among children. They plan to make the sequel next year with Peter Rabbit 2 The Runaway. I believe you can watch the first one on Netflix, so if any of you want to be exposed to a tiny piece of Beatrix Potter then go ahead and watch it. Although, I´ll tell you something I'm a big fan of her original stuff--nothing beats her books.
FUN FACTS ABOUT BEATRIX POTTER
Beatrix Potter was no ordinary woman.
Her real name was Helen Beatrix Potter born 28th of July 1866-22nd of December 1943. She was a conservationist, illustrator, natural scientist and a writer. During a time when women were not really suppose to be independent thinkers she broke all the molds of her time.
She was a Mycology enthusiast.
Mycologist study the science of fungi, spores, and mushrooms. She was a curious soul and in her walks in the forest she recorded and drew many different species of fungi. She studied them and used them often in her book illustrations.
She was a prized Sheep Farmer.
As I mentioned before, she was no ordinary woman. She did things other women in her time dared not do. She was a prize winning sheep breeder and the first woman elected President of the Herdwick Sheep Breeders´ Association in 1943.
Beatrix Potter had a secret code writing.
It´s not a surprise that many authors had their own secret code writing in the past. Beatrix´s mother did not agree with Beatrix´s way of thinking. In order to keep her stories and curiosities secret, she created her own code so no one would know about her secret world with her animals.
She left her belonging to the National Trust.
At the time of her death, Beatrix Potter left 4,000 acres of land and 16 farms to the National Trust so that the natural area would be perserved. You can still visit her home today it´s called Hill Top and it's truly a beautiful place.
Rabbits were her first pets and inspiration.
Her first pets were two rabbits called Peter Piper and Benjamin Bouncer which inspired her to look at the world of pets and wild animals in a different light. They were her inspiration and muse for all of her books that came later.
In the beginning her books were rejected.
In the 1900´s she tried to sell her first book "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" however, at the time her efforts were ignored. In spite of that, it didn't stop her from printing her own 250 books and sending them to her family and friends especially her good friend Sir Author Conan-Doyle writer of Sherlock Holmes.
She was a business woman at heart.
At a very young age she always thought about making her own money. She started to draw Christmas cards and sell them to the locals. Years later, she printed her own books. After that she she secured her future by licensing the Peter Rabbit name. So when her books became a total sucess all the merchandising such as rabbit dolls and board games went to her personal fund. She was then able to live her life as she wanted among nature and free from society and it's demands.
Beatrix Potter was no ordinary woman.
Her real name was Helen Beatrix Potter born 28th of July 1866-22nd of December 1943. She was a conservationist, illustrator, natural scientist and a writer. During a time when women were not really suppose to be independent thinkers she broke all the molds of her time.
She was a Mycology enthusiast.
Mycologist study the science of fungi, spores, and mushrooms. She was a curious soul and in her walks in the forest she recorded and drew many different species of fungi. She studied them and used them often in her book illustrations.
She was a prized Sheep Farmer.
As I mentioned before, she was no ordinary woman. She did things other women in her time dared not do. She was a prize winning sheep breeder and the first woman elected President of the Herdwick Sheep Breeders´ Association in 1943.
Beatrix Potter had a secret code writing.
It´s not a surprise that many authors had their own secret code writing in the past. Beatrix´s mother did not agree with Beatrix´s way of thinking. In order to keep her stories and curiosities secret, she created her own code so no one would know about her secret world with her animals.
She left her belonging to the National Trust.
At the time of her death, Beatrix Potter left 4,000 acres of land and 16 farms to the National Trust so that the natural area would be perserved. You can still visit her home today it´s called Hill Top and it's truly a beautiful place.
Rabbits were her first pets and inspiration.
Her first pets were two rabbits called Peter Piper and Benjamin Bouncer which inspired her to look at the world of pets and wild animals in a different light. They were her inspiration and muse for all of her books that came later.
In the beginning her books were rejected.
In the 1900´s she tried to sell her first book "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" however, at the time her efforts were ignored. In spite of that, it didn't stop her from printing her own 250 books and sending them to her family and friends especially her good friend Sir Author Conan-Doyle writer of Sherlock Holmes.
She was a business woman at heart.
At a very young age she always thought about making her own money. She started to draw Christmas cards and sell them to the locals. Years later, she printed her own books. After that she she secured her future by licensing the Peter Rabbit name. So when her books became a total sucess all the merchandising such as rabbit dolls and board games went to her personal fund. She was then able to live her life as she wanted among nature and free from society and it's demands.
Beatrix Potter created a world where we all learned to love and appreciate animals. A world where animals were the protagonists with their secret lives and where laughter and love were always the main theme.
To learn more about this brilliant woman and her work check out this website. https://www.peterrabbit.com/beatrix-potter-society/
The ROLY POLY PUDDING IN VIDEO
I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did as a kid.
Remember you can always contact me at thebrilliantlightbulb@gmail.com
I love the personality and work of Beatrix Potter! Thanks a lot for bringing her in your blog and for doing it in such an interesting and beautiful way!
ReplyDeleteThank you Carmiña! I just love her stories and I feel kids will enjoy them as much as I do. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Delete