Kid Lit Authors Quiz: The Wonderful World of Beatrix Potter | 10 Questions

Answer: Peter

Perhaps the best-known and best-loved character from the world of Beatrix Potter is the mischievous young rabbit Peter Rabbit. His first literary appearance was in the 1902 book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", though Potter had created him at least nine years prior as a story for Noel Moore. He was the son of Beatrix Potter's former governess who had fallen ill and needed a pick-me-up. And so, the legendary rabbit was born.

Peter Rabbit was a bit cheeky, not listening to his mother on more than one occasion. He had an ongoing tiff with the neighbouring Mr McGregor, whose garden Peter loved to steal vegetables from. He also made other appearances in some of Potter's other stories, and has had television series' and films made about him.

Answer: Owl

On the heels of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", Beatrix Potter published "The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin" in August of 1903. It instantly was a success and helped further Potter's reputation as a children's author. It was originally a story for Potter's former governess' daughter, Annie Carter Moore.

The story tells the tale of Nutkin, a red squirrel who travels along with his kin to Owl Island in order to collect nuts. Each day, the squirrels offer Old Brown, the owl, a gift and ask for his permission to collect nuts. Every day, Nutkin taunts Old Brown with riddles, songs, and dances. For six days the owl ignores Nutkin, but eventually his resolve breaks and he tries to catch the imp. Nutkin manages to get away with his life, half a tail, and a distaste for riddles, having learned his lesson the hard way.

Answer: Gloucester

Often saying that this was her favourite out of all the books that she published, the 1902 story "The Tailor of Gloucester" is an endearing tale. Originally privately printed by Potter herself, the trade edition was released to the public in October of 1903. This was also originally a story for her former governess' daughter, Freda Moore.

The charming tale tells of a tailor who saves some mice from a cat. The mice are so grateful for their lives that they secretly help the tailor finish a waistcoat he was working on. The story is based on true events involving a Gloucester tailor, John Prichard, who needed to finish a suit for the local mayor. When he retired for the night, his assistants, who Pritchard had always looked out for, finished the coat for him except for one final cut.

Answer: Cousin

"The Tale of Benjamin Bunny" was first published in September of 1904. It featured Peter Rabbit once again, and his cousin, Benjamin Bunny. The story served as a sequel for the popular "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and told the story of how Benjamin and Peter go to Mr McGregor's garden to find the clothes that Peter lost in the first story. Peter gets the clothes but Benjamin begins wasting time before the two are caught by the cat. Luckily, after hours, Benjamin's father comes to rescue the pair, but is upset by their actions. Eventually, Peter straightens things out with his mother.

"The Tale of Benjamin Bunny" was the fourth book published by Beatrix Potter and the illustrations were greatly praised. Despite criticism about the narrative by the publisher, the story was very successful.

Answer: Bad

Beatrix Potter published "The Tale of Two Bad Mice" in September of 1904. It was critically acclaimed and very popular.

The story talks about two mice, Tom Thumb and Hunka Munka, who are very mischievous and, well, bored. They live under the skirting table of a dollhouse and come out to trash the dollhouse once one of them realizes that all of the food in the dollhouse is fake. These mice have really done a number on the dollhouse, even going as far as to smash the dishes. The owner of the dollhouse is upset and she places a doll of a policeman at the entrance to the dollhouse to block the entrance.

Answer: Hedgehog

Lucie from Little-town has lost three handkerchiefs and a pinafore, oh my! She looks for them everywhere but can't find them. Finally, she happens upon a door and hears someone inside singing. When she goes inside, she finds Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, the hedgehog laundress, washing and ironing her lost things. The two have tea together and then venture out to return other items to the other animals. However, when Lucie goes to thank Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, she sees that she is now just a regular hedgehog and perhaps she dreamed it all, but she does have three clean handkerchiefs and a clean pinafore...

"The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle" was published in October of 1905 and was intended by Beatrix Potter to be popular with little girls of the time because of the subject of housework. Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny both show up in the illustrations for the story though they're not named.

Answer: Magpie

"The Pie and the Patty-Pan" (later called "The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan") was a story published in October 1905. In it are some of Beatrix Potter's best drawings, illustrations based on animals that Potter kept and observed as well as the town of Sawrey in the Lake District in northwestern England. This was the first story completed after the passing of Potter's fiancé, Nelson Warne, who was also her publisher.

The story tells of Duchess, a dog, who is invited to a tea party held by her friend Ribby, a cat. Duchess has just made herself a ham and veal pie and does not want to eat the mouse pie that Ribby is making. When Ribby isn't looking, Duchess slips her pie in Ribby's oven. When Ribby serves up the pie, Duchess gobbles it up thinking it to be her pie. However, she does not find the patty-pan that she put in the pie, so she panics. Ribby sends for the doctor, Dr Maggoty, a magpie, who cannot find the patty-pan down Duchess' throat. When Duchess searches the oven, she finds her pie and hides it outside. When Duchess leaves to go home, she finds that Dr Maggoty and some friends have eaten her pie.

Answer: Jeremy

"The Tale of Mr Jeremy Fisher" was published in July 1906 and was the second of two stories that Beatrix Potter had promised to write for her publisher and fiancé before he passed away suddenly. Potter drew influence for the story from her father, Rupert William Potter, and the fishing he and his friends used to take part in in the summers.

Jeremy Fisher is a frog who, after a rain shower, sees an opportunity to go fishing. His goal is to catch five minnows so that he can invite his friends over for dinner. He sets out and takes his rod and tackle but is unsuccessful in catching his desired fish. All of a sudden, he gets swallowed by a trout who eventually spits him out. Having lost his fishing gear and the desire to ever fish again, Jeremy goes home. In the end, he still invites his friends over.

Answer: Fierce

"The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit" was published in December 1906 and was written by Beatrix Potter as a response to a challenge. Louie Warne, the daughter of Harold Warne, Potter's publisher, declared that Beatrix Potter's characters were too nice. Even Peter Rabbit, supposedly the rebel of the lot, was still just nice. So Potter acquiesced and wrote the tale.

In "The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit", the bad rabbit finds a good rabbit and takes his carrot. The good rabbit runs off emotional about his loss. A hunter happens to be nearby and mistakes the bad rabbit for a bird, and shoots at him. When the hunter goes to see what he hit, he only finds a carrot and a rabbit's tail. The bad rabbit has been punished.

Answer: Teasing

"The Story of Miss Moppet" tells of Miss Moppet, a kitten, who sees a mouse. Now, this mouse is not afraid of cats and teases Miss Moppet. When she goes after the mouse, he scurries away and darts into a hole. Miss Moppet, as a result, hurts her head on the wall. She comes up with a plan for revenge - she pretends to be ill and ties a cloth around her head. The curious mouse gets closer and closer... Miss Moppet is watching from a hole in the cloth and pounces when the mouse gets close. When she captures the mouse, she decides to tease him in return by tying him up in the cloth and bouncing him around. However, to her chagrin, the mouse has escaped through the hole in the cloth and has scurried away.

"The Story of Miss Moppet" was published in November of 1906. While not considered one of Beatrix Potter's best works, it is still a very lovable story.