BEATRIX AND HER FRIENDS

How Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, and other beloved characters came to be.

Writing with a young audience in mind, Lambelet explores Beatrix Potter’s (1866-1943) life through the lens of her best-known pets and books. Enamored of nature since childhood, Beatrix often put her own animals into the books she wrote for kids. The book focuses primarily on the inspirations behind her most celebrated creations, among them Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Samuel Whiskers, and, of course, Peter Rabbit; Lambelet takes time to also mention the 4,000 acres of land that Potter was able to preserve during her lifetime. It would be a fool’s errand to illustrate a biography of Potter in her style, so Lambelet wisely opts for her own distinctive technique, in a watercolor palette in pinks, blues, greens, and browns. No mention is made of the artist’s scientific talents, endeavors, and disappointments; instead, this is a sweeter view of Potter’s life: Her characters are seen romping around her, and she even hugs them after the man she loves dies. On occasion, the text wanders into the twee, and readers never learn that Beatrix Potter was so good at her craft in part because she often dissected her beloved pets to study their anatomy. Still, Lambelet hits the major biographical points, and a timeline and author’s note fill in further background.

A rosy-hued, tenderly told biography of one of kid lit’s greats.