The Ultimate Peter Rabbit

by Elizabeth Dowsett, Allison Singer (Contributor), Camilla Hallinan (Contributor)

A special anniversary edition to celebrate 150 years since Beatrix Potter's birth. DK's The Ultimate Peter Rabbit traces the true story behind the mischievous rabbit who has captured the hearts of children all around the world.

See the first Peter Rabbit merchandise and his journey from page to stage to screen. Discover the real-life places that inspired the tales, from Squirrel Nutkin's lake to Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's hillside. Explore Tom Kitten's farmhouse in the Lake District and pore over original archive illustrations, sketches, and photographs. The Ultimate Peter Rabbit has been updated to continue the story of how Peter Rabbit has grown and evolved in the 21st century.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Picture Books, Animals, Art

128 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

a Fitting tribute to the inspirations of Beatrix Potter.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the format of this large size book. Each two page spread focusses on one of Beatrix Potter's stories, in the order written, with a collage of illustrations from the book, quotes from the text, Potter's related drawings, notes she wrote to others, how the story came into being, photos of the setting, pictures of Potter and her family and/or other relevant photographs. The book as a whole becomes a biography of Beatrix Potter and her stories, including what happened to them afterwards (ie. movies, worldwide popularity, her home and village sites turned tourist attractions). The book is a great companion for fans of rascally Peter Rabbit and his endearing associates.

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many, I have been enchanted with Peter Rabbit most of my life. I found this book years ago and only after deciding to devote my time to my TBR shelf did I pick it up. I really enjoyed it and recommend it highly to fans and newcomers alike.

The only thing missing is a bibliography of Beatrix Potter's work, however I will take it upon myself to do some research so that I may discover and enjoy all of the beautiful creations this author and artist gifted to the world.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book for fans of Beatrix Potter

[Friday · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful exploration of not only the world of Peter Rabbit but also Beatrix Potter's life and work.

[Rita · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Read this alongside The Complete Peter Rabbit and while there were parts of it that were pretty interesting to me, particularly Beatrix Potter's upbringing and influences, I felt that this book got repetitive in some parts. Perhaps it was only me but I felt that when it came to explanations of the various tales in the Peter Rabbit collection, this book was mostly summaries/snippets of the tales and facts that had already been included in The Complete Peter Rabbit. Reading about Beatrix Potter's usage of real places as backgrounds for her stories was fascinating but again was a bit repetitive and this book just became a bit tedious for me to read. However, I did truly enjoy reading about Beatrix's life and seeing pictures of her farmhouse and garden and the comparisons made between her illustrations and the real live places/animals/what have you. This might be a great book for massive Beatrix Potter fans, but as a companion to the collection of her tales, it doesn't really add anything extra other than some images of beautiful scenery.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of "picture book" that a grown-up can while away the hours with. Yes, I ended that sentence with a preposition. Too bad. The book is filled with photographs of Beatrix Potter and her family, as well as hundreds of drawings and sketches of Peter and his animal friends. The illustrations bring out the strong connection in Potter's work between the beauty and mystery of the natural world and the everyday, routine activities of life, with the occasional adventure thrown into the mix. It is a small sip of joy to look at the world through the eyes of such a unique artist and storyteller.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a marvelous book celebrating an amazing children's author and illustrator, Beatrix Potter. Not only would it be great to use with students to show them some of her groundbreaking illustrations and the times and conditions in which she did them, but it's great to connect with them using a character they were likely to have encountered as a child. The pictures and facts are wonderful and like any great DK visual guide, you can look at any section independently or as a book as a whole.

[Courtney Shevchenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this at the thrift shop the other day and couldn't help but pick it up a 50 cents. I am so glad I did! It was a beautiful book full of tidbits about Beatrix Potter's life and several of the books that she published. I loved getting to see photos of Hill Top farm and various family members as well.

[Tycelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrated, short overview of Beatrix Potter's life, illustrations, stories, characters, locations & gift to National Trust. Enjoyed the picture book approach.

[R. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truely glad I purchased this Book!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little scattered but I really enjoyed learning more about the history of Peter Rabbit and what inspired Beatrix.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm 53 and I am still in love with Peter Rabbit and the other great folk of Beatrix Potter.

[Grace Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this love Beatrix potter!!

[Kathryn Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my Beatrix Potter project. I loved all the photographs and pictures of her artwork.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive !