Here are twenty facts about Beatrix Potter, the English author and illustrator.
- Beatrix Potter was born on 28th July 1866 in South Kensington, London.
- Her family were wealthy and Beatrix had a very comfortable childhood.
- When they were children, Beatrix and her brother Bertram kept several small animals as pets. At various points they had mice, rabbits and a hedgehog.
- One of her rabbits was called Benjamin Bouncer.
- When she was fourteen, Beatrix started to keep a diary. She added entries in code and recorded her opinions on places she had visited and things she had seen. She added lots of illustrations and descriptions of nature.
- Beatrix Potter was fascinated by nature. She was a keen botanist, she collected fossils, and she became very good at drawing fungi.
- She was an avid reader and in her youth she was inspired by many books, including: The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley, Edward Lear‘s Book of Nonsense, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and the Brer Rabbit stories by Joel Chandler Harris.
- When she went on holiday to Scotland or the Lake District, Beatrix Potter used to send illustrated letters to the children of her former governess, Annie Carter. In one letter (dated September 1893) Beatrix Potter tells a story of four rabbits called Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter. This letter formed the basis of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, published in 1902.
- Beatrix Potter published 23 books in the Tales series.
- In 1921 The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in braille.
- Beatrix Potter was a very smart business woman. She realised that readers of her animal books would by other items related to the stories. She designed and produced a Peter Rabbit doll, and gave her permission for other items to be made, such as: board games, tea-sets, wall-paper and figurines.
- In 1905 Beatrix Potter bought Hill Top Farm in the Lake District.
- Beatrix Potter married William Heelis on 15th October 1913.
- She loved living in the country and she became heavily involved in rural village life. She was particularly interested in breeding Herdwick sheep.
- In 1943, Beatrix Potter was elected President of the Herdwick Sheepbreeder’s Association. Unfortunately, she passed away before she could take on the role.
- Beatrix Potter died on 22nd December 1943 from pneumonia.
- In her will she left all of her property to the National Trust. This included sixteen farms, many cottages and over 4000 acres of land.
- Miss Potter a biopic of Beatrix Potter’s life was released in 2006, starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor.
- She set up a Nursing Trust for villages in the Lake District.
- In 1946, Hill Top Farm was opened to the public by the National Trust.
Books by Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter wrote 23 books in the Tales series.
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit
- The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
- The Tailor of Gloucester
- The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
- The Tale of Two Bad Mice
- 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 Samuel Whiskers
- The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies
- The Tale of Ginger and Pickles
- The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse
- The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes
- The Tale of Mr. Tod
- The Tale of Pigling Bland
- Appley Dapply’s Nursery Rhymes
- The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse
- Cecily Parsely’s Nursery Rhymes
- The Tale of Little Pig Robinson
What next? Find out some facts about other famous children’s authors.
