“Helen Beatrix Potter (1866 – 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist.
She is best known for her children’s books featuring animals, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which was her first published work in 1902.
Her books…have sold more than 250 million copies…Potter [left] almost all her property to the National Trust. She is credited with preserving much of the land that now constitutes the Lake District National Park.” (wikipedia)
“Peter lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes.“
Beatrix Potter’s first book “was rejected by several publishers, so she privately printed 250 copies of it herself. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was a great success with family and friends. In 1902, Frederick Warne & Co agreed to publish an initial quantity of 8,000. They sold out instantly and Beatrix’s career as a storyteller was launched.” – Beatrix Potter National Trust
Beatrix Potter spent much of her childhood in Scotland and the north of England where she could indulge in her love of animals and the natural world.
“I used to half believe and wholly play with fairies when I was a child. What heaven can be more real than to retain the spirit-world of childhood, tempered and balanced by knowledge and common-sense.” – Beatrix Potter
“Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality.” – Beatrix Potter
Later in life she settled in the Lake District and purchased thirty-four-acre Hill Top Farm, the perfect place for her to paint, write, and garden.
Among other portrayals based on her life, is the 2006 film, Miss Potter.
“If I have done anything, even a little, to help small children enjoy honest, simple pleasures, I have done a bit of good.”
(images from my Pinterest boards)
Linda Mahkovec - Author 