How to Encourage Reading With Beatrix Potter

Since 1902 when Beatrix Potter published her first animal story, her world of squirrels that talk and rabbits that wear suits has welcomed generations of new readers. Here's how to help your child enter Beatrix Potter's world.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Begin by reading some of the books to your child. There are many to choose from, beginning with Peter Rabbit and ending with Little Pig Robinson, with a host of others - Hunca Munca, the mouse; Jemima Puddleduck - in between.
2. Make sure to choose books with the original illustrations, especially if your child is visually oriented.
3. Pause as you read to ask your child questions: What is Jeremy wearing? What do you think he is going to do next?
4. Encourage your child to place herself in Potter's world. Does she sympathize with Peter? Does she think Peter will go back in Mr. Macgregor's garden? Would she? Why or why not?
5. Help your child identify with the characters and develop stories of her own. There are millions of Beatrix Potter products available - from stuffed animals to videos to books on tape - that can help with this process.
6. Encourage your child to learn something about the author herself. Potter was many things in addition to being a writer of charming children's stories - large sections of England's Lake District would have gone to development had it not been for her efforts.
7. Visit her home - on the Web, at the library or in person - learning about Potter's "real" world will help make her fictional world come alive.

Tips & Warnings

• If your child is new to Potter's world, remember the advice the Red Queen gave Alice. Why not start at the beginning - "A Tale of Peter Rabbit" - and go on till you get to the end - "The Tale of Little Pig Robinson"? A series like Potter's can make a great set of gifts over time or incentives for learning.
• Screen the books for trouble if your child is very sensitive. These are not as grim as Grimm's fairy tales by any means, but there are moments that might disturb children. In "The Tale of Benjamin Bunny," for example, Potter writes, "I cannot draw you a picture of Peter and Benjamin underneath the basket, because it was quite dark and because the smell of onions was fearful; it made Peter Rabbit and little Benjamin cry." The "Tale of Peter Rabbit" is the quintessential cautionary tale, and Potter openly acknowledged that, with these stories, she hoped to foster good behavior.
• Screen the stories for gender stereotypes if that's something you're concerned about. Remember that Potter was an Edwardian - in these books, all the girl animals wear long dresses; most girl animals also cook and keep house and are less adventurous than the boy animals.