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Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales

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This complete and unabridged collection contains all 23 of Beatrix Potter's Tales in one deluxe volume with all their original illustrations. The stories are arranged in the order in which they were first published so they may be read in their proper sequence. A special section at the end of this volume contains 19 audiobooks from the Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter with their dramatic readings!

Although each story stands on its own, several are linked together by events and characters.

The following stories are included in this book:

—"The Tale of Peter Rabbit"

—"The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin"

—"The Tailor of Gloucester"

—"The Tale of Benjamin Bunny"

—"The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle"

—"The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher"

—"The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit"

—"The Story of Miss Moppet"

—"The Tale of Tom Kitten"

—"The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck"

—"The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies"

—"The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse"

—"Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes"

—"The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse"

—"Cecily Parseley's Nursery Rhymes"

—"The Pie and the Patty-Pan"

—"The Roly-Poly Pudding"

—"Ginger and Pickles"

—"The Tale of Mr. Tod"

—"The Tale of Pigling Bland"

The world of Beatrix Potter is as appealing now as when it was first created at the turn of the twentieth century.

409 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1997

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About the author

Beatrix Potter

2,772 books1,987 followers
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, mycologist, and conservationist who is best known for her children's books, which featured animal characters such as Peter Rabbit.

Born into a wealthy household, Potter was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. She had numerous pets, and through holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, developed a love of landscape, flora, and fauna, all of which she closely observed and painted. Because she was a woman, her parents discouraged intellectual development, but her study and paintings of fungi led her to be widely respected in the field of mycology.

In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit and became secretly engaged to her publisher, Norman Warne, causing a breach with her parents, who disapproved of his social status. Warne died before the wedding.

Potter eventually published 24 children's books, the most recent being The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots (2016), and having become financially independent of her parents, was able to buy a farm in the Lake District, which she extended with other purchases over time.

In her forties, she married a local solicitor, William Heelis. She became a sheep breeder and farmer while continuing to write and illustrate children's books. Potter died in 1943 and left almost all of her property to The National Trust in order to preserve the beauty of the Lake District as she had known it, protecting it from developers.

Potter's books continue to sell well throughout the world, in multiple languages. Her stories have been retold in various formats, including a ballet, films, and in animation.

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5 stars
1,828 (64%)
4 stars
655 (23%)
3 stars
270 (9%)
2 stars
58 (2%)
1 star
20 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
Profile Image for Negin.
663 reviews150 followers
October 14, 2018
What a treat! I wish that I had had this collection when my children were young. We had a few of the Beatrix Potter books, but certainly not all of the stories here. I also like the fact that there’s a map at the beginning of the book. I love books with maps. This collection is simply charming. The illustrations and stories are delightful. At the beginning of each story, I enjoyed learning something about Beatrix Potter and how that particular story came to be.

Profile Image for Sherry.
762 reviews80 followers
July 12, 2023
I loved everything about this. The stories were charming. The illustrations so pretty and it was a delight spending my mornings with Beatrix Potter’s delightful work. Many of the stories I hadn’t read before which was an added treat. So happy to have this book in my collection.
Profile Image for Paul.
815 reviews48 followers
December 29, 2018
This book is just charming--both the author's illustrations and the text. She is able to anthropomorphize the lives of little creatures in nature and their adventures and misadventures in the world of huge human figures. The drawings of bunnies in little shoes and clogs are just precious in the best sense. This is a great book to fall asleep reading. It is hugely calming and embracing and allows readers to participate in the author's wonderfully detailed fantasy world. The stories are timeless and appeal to all ages, but are mandatory reading for little children.
339 reviews3 followers
September 10, 2020
One of the things I liked about this collection of Beatrix Potter stories, rhymes, and paintings is that before each there is text explaining a bit about the story such as when it was written, what was going on in her life at the time it was written, etc.

While a lot of these stories I remember hearing as a child there were also a decent number I hand not read before. Some stories were a bit nonsensical or absurd, though, maybe that is part of the point of those? It was also interesting to see what was considered appropriate for children in the early 1900s compared to today.

Even though I didn't love all the stories and rhymes, seeing all the lovely paintings and drawings by Potter was a delight. Though some of the stories kept me so pulled in I didn't want to look at the drawing in detail until later because I just wanted to find out the ending of that story.

One thing to keep in mind is that there are words or things that are no longer in popular use today that come up in some of the stories. While it rarely impacts the understanding of the story, there was one in which not knowing what something was did make it quite confusing.
Profile Image for Mary.
1,266 reviews1 follower
June 3, 2021
Original illustrations!

It always angers me to see Beatrix Potter books without the original illustrations, so I’m very happy to report that these are the original watercolor illustrations and line drawings for Potter’s complete works. What a bargain for 99 cents! Beatrix Potter is a treasure!
Highly recommend this edition.
Profile Image for Rajita P..
276 reviews27 followers
July 12, 2020
ทะยอยอ่านจะดี !

รวมนิทานภาษาอังกฤษของ Beatrix Potter เนื้อเรื่องจะดำเนินโดยสัตว์ประเภทต่าง ๆ เช่น กระต่าย แมว หนู เป็ด หมู ตัวตุ่น
>ภาพประกอบน่ารักมาก ๆ
>แต่ด้วยว่ามันเป็น Complete collection ความยาว 500 กว่าหน้าทำให้มีบางเรื่อง บางตอนน่าเบื่อบ้าง
478 reviews1 follower
August 28, 2019
Classic children's tales and beautifully illustrated. I had forgotten how lovely these stories are.
Profile Image for Hannah Tan.
43 reviews
January 25, 2022
The kids loved these mischievous tales. We also watched the World of Beatrix Potter videos on YouTube. We all have our different favourites!
Profile Image for Lara Giesbers.
Author 4 books15 followers
December 13, 2021
"I am almost inclined to set it up as a canon that a children's story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children's story. The good ones last." - C.S. Lewis

This volume brought me back to my childhood, where the first place I went to in the school library was the shelf that held all those little white books. They were about rabbits, cats, dogs, squirrels, foxes and other animals; as well as life in the woods, the country, or even out to sea! It also tells me just how timeless Beatrix's works were. Her stories were also enjoyed by my hero, C.S. Lewis. His words echoed through my mind as I read each of these stories, for I enjoy them just as much now, if not more than when I first discovered them as a child.

This collection gave me the chance to not only read my favorites again, but also stories that I never did read, and even ones that were never published! This volume is a great addition to any library. Like all great children's stories, it's meant to be read again and again.
Profile Image for Danielle.
247 reviews
March 22, 2018
Charming stories, lovely illustrations, and great vocabulary. Scott followed along well but definitely didn’t grasp 100% of each story, which I’m not sad about because that just means we’ll need to read it again next year and maybe the year after that too. Also bought the audiobook narrated by Jim Weiss and it’s fantastic!!!
Profile Image for Lori Holuta.
Author 16 books54 followers
April 16, 2021
After watching "Miss Potter" recently on Amazon Prime, I found my interest in Beatrix Potter's artwork rekindled. And now my Kindle is rekindled, too! For $2.99, a mere snip of a price, I've re-enjoyed stories I grew up with - and read some I'd never stumbled across. Be sure to enjoy this collection on a decent tablet or computer. A Paperwhite simply can't do the illustrations justice.

Better yet, spring for the hardcover edition and share it with any small children you might know. At $20, it's absolutely worth every penny.
Profile Image for Chandra.
248 reviews9 followers
November 16, 2020
This large format collection isn't ideal in some ways. I do prefer the smaller individual books for reading and sharing with children. But the rating is for Potter's overall body of work which is incredible and not to be missed. I think my favorite tale of all is The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck. Such humor, such pathos!
Profile Image for Harlow.
140 reviews2 followers
Read
March 3, 2024
Reading weather ☔️

Nadia May’s narration makes Potter’s animal characters and stories come alive.

New vocabulary tippet, stickleback, bluebottles, etc.

Not sure if this is “complete” since it doesn’t appear to include all 23 “little books.”

Also, no illustrations since I listened to the audiobook.

I wish I had listened to this before the Potter biography by Dennison since it referenced them.

Looking forward to The Morgan Library and Museum exhibition “Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature”
Profile Image for Autumn Kearney.
510 reviews
March 5, 2024
As with any tome, the stories here vary widely in quality. It was well worth the $2.99 that I had paid for it for a copy on Kindle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Bianca.
145 reviews9 followers
July 16, 2019
Beatrix Potter é uma autora muito conhecida por seus livros infantis com contos utilizando animais como seus personagens principais, sendo o mais conhecido o Pedrito Coelho (Peter Rabbit). Eu não tinha ouvido falar antes dessa autora e dos seus e fiquei bem chocada ao me tocar o que eu estava perdendo e também fiquei a pensar em como teria sido divertido ler esses livros na infância.
Os contos são muito divertidos e eu consegui me manter pregada neles até o último segundo mesmo sendo livros para crianças, o que não tira o mérito de serem livros maravilhosos.
Eu adorei as musiquinhas presentes em alguns dos contos e eu fiquei pensando em ritmos que combinaram com elas e me diverti bastante com isso, eu ainda não li eles em português porque eu queria que o meu primeiro contato fosse na língua original. Super recomendo a todos essa leitura excelente, principalmente para pais que querem instigar as crianças a começarem a ler.
Profile Image for Rosie.
247 reviews2 followers
February 2, 2019
Potter’s books are very relatable to children as animals are imagined to have their own lives, which is an extension of children’s own imaginations. All the stories interlink as well which helps to get an overall idea of the different characters.
Some of the language is quite old, and younger children may not necessarily understand. However the text would be good to introduce new vocabulary to children and develop skills for looking up complex language using dictionaries and thesauruses.
The stories would be good to link to science lessons and animals and their habitats, this could lead to interesting discussions surrounding why the animals in the stories wear clothes and have houses.
Author 11 books10 followers
June 18, 2018
It was good to read all the stories, but the quality is somewhat mixed. There are great ones like Peter Rabbit, but there are other ones that seemed to make no sense at all. By that, I don't mean to me as an adult, but even to children - I couldn't imagine reading some of these to my own kids, in particular the Tale of Ginger and Pickles. But the majority of them were good, and, of course, the illustrations were outstanding. She was an amazing illustrator, and even in stories I didn't care for as much the drawings were spectacular.
Profile Image for Nicole.
98 reviews1 follower
September 26, 2017
These were books read to me as a child. The stories are whimsical but I always loved the pictures that Beatrix Potter made for the stories. They are just gorgeous as is this book containing the complete collection of Peter rabbit!
Profile Image for Red Talisman.
109 reviews3 followers
December 24, 2019
Loved the series, aside the book!

A classic master piece for children. Worth every penny.Here I am on my 8th month of pregnancy reading these stories to my baby, a habit plan to enjoy when she's finally here with me
Profile Image for Laurie-Anne.
64 reviews2 followers
January 16, 2019
Beatrix potter has so many stories that are classics. I've read some of them quite a few times, and never tire of them.
Profile Image for Lisa.
495 reviews4 followers
June 14, 2023
This large volume has all of Potter's 23 animal stories and verses in complete, unabridged format and it includes all the original illustrations (colour and black and white) as well. Did you know that Potter did all of the paintings and drawings? I had no idea. Also included are a couple picture sequences, and two unpublished stories. The stories are arranged in the chronological order in which they were published, starting with A Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902. Each story includes an short introduction, or background, about where/why Potter might've written the story, or to whom she dedicated it, or how the story setting related to her real life. The introductions do an excellent job of setting the scene, and helped transport me as the reader back to turn-of-the-century English countryside.

The stories themselves are quite cute. They are definitely of and for another time period, back when children were allowed to read stories about bags of bunnies being cooked in a Mr. Tod's (the fox) oven (spoiler - the bunnies are rescued). The animals are anthropomorphized, in their cute human clothes, the houses they live in, the items they keep and the activities to do (to market so we can have a dinner party!). And sometimes, there are even humans living alongside the animals. I did find the stories a bit...well, I'm not the target audience. Some of the endings are a bit twee or abrupt, some of them don't seem to have any point at all (like the one about Pig Robinson), and some are just plain boring (like sadly almost any story with a cat in it). But I can see how they would be lovely read-alouds to young children, who would quite enjoy the cute characters and idyllic scenery. It's also quite sweet how some of the characters are reoccurring, and the map inside the book cover really makes it feel like Potter created a world of animals and nature within our own world.

I think my favourite story is The Tale of Peter Rabbit, because, well, he's adorable.

It's also your typical morality tale of the "serves you right because you were naughty" variety. And, if you read the rest of the tales, when Peter Rabbit comes up again, he is much changed from his experience, and is basically a kind, upstanding member of the community, his veggie stealing days behind him. Aw.

I'd recommend this book, or any of the Beatrix Potter tales, to anyone who has small children. The artwork alone is worth a look, as some of her paintings are quite the portrayal of the perfect country life. This is a worthy collection for adult fans as well, so if you remember reading these stories as a kid, pick up this book and read them again to your own kiddlets!
Profile Image for Vicky Hunt.
912 reviews68 followers
December 22, 2023
Losing Tail and Whiskers for a Carrot

Do not expect to gain meaning from my review title. But you will find the meaning within the Beatrix Potter tale of A Fierce Bad Rabbit. That tale and many more are included in this lovely collection of her children's tales. I will not play favorites here, and try to tell you which of Potter's loveable characters are my favorites, because I am and was always enchanted by reading each of these childhood treasured stories. I also could not tell whether the illustrations or the tales themselves are more charming. It simply would not do to have only one or the other.
"Indeed it is most admirable, if it has cured you of a patty-pan!"- quote from The Tale of the Pie in the Patty-Pan

This leatherbound hardback collection is printed with embossed art on the cover and gold edged pages, as well as all Potter's original illustrations; laid out in matching order from the original picture book publications from the turn of the twentieth century. Maps of Potter's world are printed nicely inside the front and back cover. It is certainly a treasure. I have already read several of the tales multiple times from this edition, which I selected from the array available at Barnes & Noble. It is not the only way to read her books. They are still available in individual books, just as they have been for over a century. Just be aware that many of them use generic illustrations. So, ask a bookseller for help if needed.
Profile Image for WendyTheOwl.
608 reviews4 followers
November 14, 2020
4,5*

FR
Je dois vous avouer que je n'ai absolument pas grandi en connaissant l'oeuvre de Beatrix Potter. Plus tard, j'en avais entendu parlé, mais toujours sans vraiment m'y intéresser. Ce n'est qu'il y a quelques mois que j'ai commencé à vraiment y jeter un coup d'oeil. Et j'ai reçu pour mon anniversaire l'intégral (en français).
Et que dire ? Je suis tombée amoureuse. De son talent. Que ça soit pour l'écriture, mais également ses dessins. Je regrette vraiment de ne pas avoir connu plus jeune. Et en même temps, je me dis que peut-être, je n'aurai pas autant apprécié l'oeuvre.
Je recommande ces oeuvres pour petits et grands. N'hésitez pas, c'est juste de l'art, je suis absolument fane.

ENG
I must admit that I absolutely didn't grow up knowing the work of Beatrix Potter. Later, I had heard about it, but still without really caring about it. It wasn't until a few months ago that I started to really take a look at it. And for my birthday I received the complete work (in French).
And what can I say? I fell in love. Of her talent. Whether for writing, but also for her drawings. I really regret not having known younger. And at the same time, I tell myself that maybe I wouldn't have appreciated the work that much.
I recommend these works for young and old. Don't hesitate, it's just art, I'm absolutely fan.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews

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