Beatrix Potter: Artist, Storyteller And Countrywoman

One of the most beloved of children's storytellers, Beatrix Potter's personal story is also endearing and this beautiful documentary written and co-directed by Judy Taylor and narrated by actress Lynn Redgrave tells that story well. Born in 1866 in England, Helen Beatrix Potter was a shy, isolated child who formed an uncommonly strong bond with animals, and became an accomplished artist and naturalist early on. Much of what is known of Potter's adolescence and early adult years comes from the journal she kept from 1881-1897. Written entirely in code, the "code" was not cracked until 1958. Although Potter never had children herself, she was fond of them, and kept a correspondence running with the eight children of her former governess Annie Moore. Those letters, embellished with little ink drawings would become the basis for most of Potter's "little books," led by her most famous story "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" (published widely in 1902). Most of Potter's literary and artistic output would occur between 1902-1913. In 1913, she married a countryman, and pursued for the rest of her life another of her loves: farming. Beatrix Potter: Artist, Storyteller and Countrywoman is both chock full of insights about Potter's wonderful children's books, and a rousing good story about an extraordinary multi-faceted woman. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (Available from: Weston Woods, Weston, CT 06883; (800) 243-5020.)