The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit

More Tales of Peter Rabbit? The Further Tales of Peter Rabbit? How can it be true? Anyone who, as a child, loved the tales of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter will be delighted to hear that there is one more, brand new tale and this time written by Emma Thompson.

"It all began when an English lady, actor and writer received a mysterious parcel; and in this parcel there was a little box, and inside this little box was a half-eaten radish, a tiny, blue jacket and a letter from Peter Rabbit ..."

Peter Rabbit is perhaps the best known of Beatrix Potter's characters and generations of children have grown up loving him. An adorable, carrot-munching, disobedient little bunny always in trouble. At last for all lovers of Peter Rabbit, another unforgettable story.

The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit is written by actress and author Emma Thompson and in her version Thompson transports Peter to Scotland; this may be a nod to the homeland of Mr McGregor, the fearsome farmer in the original Peter Rabbit tale.

The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit is on sale in the UK from 6th September 2012!

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All content and images, unless otherwise attributed, are the property of Barbara Walton

Please note that all images, unless otherwise attributed, are the property of Barbara Walton

Would you prefer to buy from Amazon.co.UK? See link further down the article ...

But in Scotland

Who better to continue the magic of Peter Rabbit than Emma Thompson? Thompson's father, Eric Thompson wrote and read the Magic Roundabout stories on British TV that delighted us as children and now, to mark the 110th anniversary of the publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Frederick Warne & Co. has asked daughter Emma Thompson to write one more Further Tale.

This time around, Peter is a small 'child' rabbit rather than Beatrix Potter's youngster in Mr McGregor's garden.

In this version Peter hides away in a picnic basket, finds himself in Scotland and meets Finlay McBurney, a friendly giant, a champion turnip thrower and Peter's cousin to boot. Thompson is making a reference to the holidays that Beatrix Potter spent in Scotland during her own childhood. Of course, in the end, Peter returns to his real 'home' in the Lake District.

Emma Thompson was a Beatrix Potter fan

As a child Emma Thompson adored the Peter Rabbit story and the Tales of Beatrix Potter, so you can imagine how delighted she was to receive a letter from Mr Peter Rabbit himself! On British TV show Loose Women Emma Thompson describes how the letter arrived in a box wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string. Inside the box was a half-eaten radish, a tiny blue jacket and a letter from Peter Rabbit. Yes, the publishers cunningly engaged Thompson's attention by posing as Peter - "How could I resist?" asks Emma?

The trick was to recreate the 'voice' of Beatrix Potter and to find someone who could recreate the charm of Beatrix Potter's illustrations. Judge for yourself how successful Emma Thompson has been in the writing of the tale, and how Eleanor Taylor has fared with the illustrations.

See Emma Thompson on Loose Women

And why was she chosen to write the new and very special Peter Rabbit tale?

Emma Thompson is the daughter of Eric Thompson renown for his wonderful Magic Roundabout stories for TV but Thompson is now a star in her own right as an Oscar-winning actress and screen-writer.

Born 15 April 1959 Emma Thompson is a British actress who first became known (at least to me) in 1987 BBC TV series Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War. Since then Emma Thompson has won a whole host of acting awards, including awards for Best Actress, for her performance in Howards End and The Remains of the Day.

Her career took another turn in 1995 when she scripted as well as starred in Sense and Sensibility, a film adaptation of the novel by Jane Austin which won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. She has made a name for herself in films for children starring as Nanny McPhee (2005) and playing the divination teacher, Sybill Trelawney, in the Harry Potter film series.

Perhaps it is this potent mix of performer and writer, and the link with the world of the child that made her the ideal candidate for the role of author of the new Peter Rabbit story. She uses all these skills when she reads from her own work:

Eleanor has links with Beatrix Potter

Ellie Taylor was herself raised in Scotland and it's her love and feeling for animals and the countryside that informs the beautiful scenes in the new illustrations; but her links with Beatrix Potter go deeper. By some strange coincidence Eleanor moved to Ancrum in the Scottish Borders aged seven and Ancrum was also the home of Beatrix Potter’s brother, Bertramand Eleanor's mother once interviewed local people gathering their memories of Bertram and Beatrix.

Eleanor Taylor had an unusual education for an illustrator. She studied architecture and then worked as a designer for Harrods, however she has been writing and illustrating picture books for the last fifteen years. How fitting that she should follow in the footsteps of Beatrix to illustrate, once again, a Peter Rabbit story.

Beatrix Potter...

Buy This at Allposters.com

Has all this talk of Peter Rabbit whetted your appetite? Not acquainted with the original Peter Rabbit stories? Or maybe you remember loving them as a child? Treat yourself to a whole lot of nostalgia, or pass on the tales to your children and grandchildren. Here are some of the best original Peter Rabbit Tales:

What could be a better christening gift for a baby than this complete works of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter? Charming stories that will make their childhoods magical and stories that will stay in their imagination for a lifetime!

The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit

[With CD

(Audio)]

(World of Beatrix Potter:

Peter Rabbit)

Are you reading this in Britain? You can buy this through amazon.co.uk.

This gift box edition contains two Peter Rabbit adventures and an audio CD. The Original Tale of Peter Rabbit written by Beatrix Potter is accompanied by The Further Tale, written by Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson, and includes a signed letterby her. Each book is cloth-bound, in a fabric specially commissioned by Timorous Beasties.

On sale in the UK on 6th September 2012!

Beatrix Potter's publisher Frederick Warnehave asked Emma Thompson to write two more brand new Peter Rabbit stories. The two new titles follow the publication of The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit - the 24th tale in the existing collection of Peter Rabbit stories.

The second book by Emma Thompson will publish Christmas 2013 and is a story featuring Peter's cousin Benjamin Bunny, a new character called William.

The third book is planned to be published 2014. Read more about these new stories in the link below