Miss Eager Beaver was in Grade 1 when I started buying Beatrix Potter books for her. We used this for read aloud and oral narration practice as we were still new to it at that time.
I haven't read any of Beatrix Potter books until I started homeschooling. (Because of the movies I watched, yes I'm familiar with Peter Rabbit. 😁) And as we read each of the tale, my daughter and I both enjoyed its stories, well crafted illustrations and humor.
A little caution though as many of the animals or "characters" have dangerous adventures, it's best to tackle those with your kids as you read them. Perhaps make it like a moral lesson of the story.
While Beatrix Potter Tales have an old-fashioned writing style (she wrote this in the early 19th century!), to this day, children and even adults around the world still enjoy reading her stories. No wonder it's a classic.
Beatrix Potter has captured the minds and hearts of generations of children. She opened a whole magical world as kids read each of her stories. And I've seen that magic through my daughter's eyes.
For kids who are just starting to read, this might be quite a bit of a challenge. But then again, there's always Read Aloud with parents so they can enjoy it better.
Our love for Beatrix Potter grew as we learn more about her life and works. Miss Eager Beaver was in Grade 2 when we had our Beatrix Potter Unit Study.
If you're not up to making your own, you can get ours 👉 here
Creating a unit study to focus on certain interests, allows our child to dig deeper about a topic. It's like feeding their minds to their 💗 heart's content. In this case, we learned more about Beatrix Potter's life story, her interests and advocacies.
We discovered how her whole writing and illustrations began — The stories behind each of her tales, and the huge success of Peter Rabbit. All in the world of Helen Beatrix Potter.
We also made a Beatrix Potter lapbook to collect and put together Miss Eager Beaver's learnings and bits of history about Potter's life.
*Beatrix Potter lapbook templates are available for free in the Beatrix Potter Unit Study.
Ooops! I almost forgot, do watch the movie Miss Potter. It was a delight to watch, capturing the enchantment inside Beatrix Potter's mind. It has the elements of comedy and romance (just a little caution on this for young children). It's best to watch the movie after you have studied her life. My daughter was able to identify the characters and was asking about the places as she tries to remember them.
As we traveled through time, we celebrated the lasting legacy of Beatrix Potter — the world of Peter Rabbit and his friends.
We traced the inspiration she found in nature, people and their customs. It was such an honor learning about a remarkable woman and her masterpieces.
If you're wondering which Potter book to start, I've compiled a list for guide. But make adjustments as you deem more appropriate for your child.
Recommended for younger children (ages 2-6)
These are simpler Potter Tales your can kids can start with.
- The Story of Tom Kitten (good manners and behavior)
- The Story of Miss Moppet (teasing tale between kitten and mouse)
- The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit (learning to say please)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit is an all-time favorite. This has a greater element of surprise. Others prefer to read this first to keep the kids engaged.
Sequels to the Tale of Peter Rabbit are :
- The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
- The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies
Perhaps you may want to introduce these two books at age 4 and up.
You may also choose a book based on an animal they are interested in such as:
- The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (hedgehog)
- The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse (wood mouse)
And of course the Apply-Dapply & Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes. It has poems about mice, hedgehogs, rabbits, moles goose, guinea pigs, cats and more.
And for the rest of the Potter books....
Recommended for slightly older kids (ages 4-7)
- The Tale of Jemima Puddle-duck
- The Tale of Two Bad Mice
- The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
- The Tale of Jeremy Fisher
- The Tale of Johnny Townmouse
- The Tale of the Pie & the Patty Pan
- The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes
- The Tale of Ginger and Pickles
- The Tale of Mr. Tod
Recommended for older children (ages 5-8)
These books are longer but many considered these to be her best.
- The Tailor of Gloucester
- The Tale of Samuel Whiskers
- The Tale of Little Pig Robinson
- The Tale of Pigling Bland
And oh! You might want to include vocabulary enrichment activities as Potter seem to deliberately spiced up her writing with adult words as soporific, affronted, resourceful, disdainful and more.
One sign that a book resonates with your child is when ideas from it come up in his imaginative play. You can find it in their drawings, or when a language from the book pops up in their speech.
Happy 💗 homeschooling!
P.S.
The Beatrix Potter Unit Study complements well with a Rabbit Unit Study. If you still haven't done this, you can check ours here:
P.S.S.
And as you teach the Elements of the Story as we did in Grade 2, you might want to grab this Peter Rabbit Lapbook template for free.😃
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