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Title: Merry Christmas Car Songbook
WonderClub
Item Number: 9781561380510
Number: 1
Product Description: Merry Christmas Car Songbook
Universal Product Code (UPC): 9781561380510
WonderClub Stock Keeping Unit (WSKU): 9781561380510
Rating: 3/5 based on 2 Reviews
Image Location: https://wonderclub.com/images/covers/05/10/9781561380510.jpg
Weight: 0.200 kg (0.44 lbs)
Width: 0.000 cm (0.00 inches)
Heigh : 0.000 cm (0.00 inches)
Depth: 0.000 cm (0.00 inches)
Date Added: August 25, 2020, Added By: Ross
Date Last Edited: August 25, 2020, Edited By: Ross
Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
$99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub (9296 total ratings) |
Nicola Sicilia
reviewed Merry Christmas Car Songbook on December 01, 2013The Tale of Peter Rabbit is the first in a series of delightful children's books by Beatrix Potter. There are twenty-three of these “little Tales†about woodland animals (who are, of course, little people in disguise, as they wear clothes and behave exactly as their human counterparts would).
This first tale about a mischievous little rabbit called Peter, is perhaps the most famous of all. Unlike some of the others, it does not seem to have dated much at all. Most children today will recognise all the little animals, and the vegetable garden setting is timeless. Peter lives with his mother and three other siblings, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail. Their home is under the roots of a tree, but they are allowed to play anywhere ... except Mr. McGregor's garden,
"Your father had an accident there; he was put into a pie by Mrs McGregor,"
warns Peter's mother.
Of course Peter knows better. The prospect of a ready-made larder of fresh vegetables is far too tempting for such a naughty little rabbit to heed any silly warnings. As soon as he can he scoots off to do exactly the opposite of what he has been told. I won't reveal his adventures, for fear of spoilers, but it is an exciting tale, with a very real threat to our hero at its core. And it does all end happily, with a valuable lesson being learnt by Peter. We even pick up some interesting traditional herbal remedies along the way, such as parsley being good for nausea, and camomile tea for stomach upsets.
It is a charming story, introducing not only Peter Rabbit, but also his siblings, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. There's even a mention in this first book of Peter's cousin, Benjamin Bunny. It also has a moral aspect, as of course Peter wouldn't have been so much at risk - or so frightened - if he had done what he was told to do in the first place. Plus he might have enjoyed his supper a bit more!
The character of "Peter Rabbit" was inspired by a pet rabbit the author had had as a child, whom she had named "Peter Piper". In 1893, Beatrix Potter had sent an illustrated letter to five-year-old Noel Moore, the son of her former governess Annie Carter Moore. It featured "Peter Rabbit". Annie Moore recognised the potential in this and other "story letters" her former pupil had sent, and suggested that Beatrix tried to get them published. However, it did not prove to be so easy. She sent the manuscript to six publishers, all of whom rejected it. Eventually Beatrix Potter published the book privately in 1901.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit was eventually accepted for commercial publication by the London firm of Frederick Warne & Co. in 1902. It was an instant success and multiple reprints were issued in the years immediately following. To date it has been translated into 36 languages, has sold 45 million copies and is one of the best-selling children's stories of all time. Frederick Warne & Co. went on to publish all twenty-three stories. They have never lost their popularity. Today more than two million Beatrix Potter books are sold every year worldwide; incredibly, this is four books every minute!
Unfortunately for Beatrix Potter the copyright of The Tale of Peter Rabbit was never registered in the United States. Unlicensed copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit soon began to appear, and there was no way to stop them. Beatrix Potter of course received no royalties from any of these. She only began to realise how enormous the financial loss might be after the publication of her second book, "The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin" when her father brought home a toy squirrel labelled "Nutkin" in the Christmas of 1903. It proved to be a wake-up call.
From that point Beatrix Potter decided to be responsible for the production of merchandise relating to her books. She patented a "Peter Rabbit" doll in 1903 and followed it almost immediately with a "Peter Rabbit" board game. Since then products have been developed for both children and adults. Now we see the "Peter Rabbit" brand on toys, dishes, foods, clothing and recordings as well as books of various types.
Before these whimsical stories ever came to light, Beatrix Potter had been a respected watercolourist, illustrating plant life, insects, fossils and various archaeological artefacts, as well as the pets and small animals she had always painted, even as a child. She came from a wealthy family and had been privately educated at home, so had perhaps been given more time to pursue her unique interests and talents than many of her peers. She was almost thirty when The Tale of Peter Rabbit was first published commercially. She had become engaged to her editor, Norman Warne, but tragically he died a month later and she was not to actually marry until many years later, when she married a solicitor at the age of 47.
The books are designed to appeal to young children. Their format goes against the stereotype; they are miniatures rather than huge picture books. But little children love little things, which seem to be scaled down just for them. They will love to hold these and pretend to read, although they will need help with the story.
When Beatrix Potter died in 1943, she left nearly all her considerable property to the National Trust. Coming from a family with money, and achieving such fame and recognition herself, with her popular books, plus the associated merchandise, she was able to become a land-owner. She spent her entire adult life buying up bits of the Lake District area (now Cumbria) which she so loved. It was the largest gift to the National Trust which had ever been made. It included her 17th Century farmhouse "Hill Top Farm", which many enthusiastic readers now visit today. It also took in over 4,000 acres of land, sixteen farms, cottages and herds of cattle and Herdwick sheep! (She was a keen sheep farmer herself.)
So we have a dual legacy. Yes, we have her wonderfully whimsical books. But perhaps not many people realise, as they climb the beautiful fells (hills) of the Lake Dictrict, that the freedom to do this is almost entirely because of Beatrix Potter's love of the natural world, her ecological views, foresight and generosity.
We used to visit the Lake District every year, to try some of the more gentle climbs up the fells. We stayed in a guest house in Near Sawrey. Just along the road is another little village called Far Sawrey, where we sometimes visited Beatrix Potter's house "Hill Top". Her furnishings are still there and much of her memorabilia.
As I wandered around the gardens once, I noticed a vegetable patch. I saw carrots, lettuces and radishes, all growing in neat rows exactly as if Mr. McGregor had just popped inside for a moment. And out of the corner of my eye, did I spy a glimpse of two bright little eyes in a furry face peeping at me from under a cabbage leaf? Or was it perhaps just my imagination?
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