The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit

K-Gr 2—Peter Rabbit makes a return entrance into Mr. McGregor's garden that takes him all the way to Scotland in this newly created sequel. His propensity for crawling under fences, eating garden vegetables to excess, and losing some of his clothes, and brief appearances of his cousin Benjamin Bunny, anchor this tale to the original story. The much-extended account has Peter falling asleep inside a picnic basket after eating much of the contents and then being toted along as Mr. and Mrs. McGregor travel by horse and cart "for a very, very, very long time." When they discover the thievery and the thief, Peter bolts into the countryside, eventually meeting up with "a HUGE black rabbit in a kilt, a dagger thrust into the top of his laced-up boot." Peter is treated kindly by Finlay McBurney and his wife, and after a pleasant night attends a big game day where Finlay is defending his title. New mischief ensues as bored Peter bores his way into a nearby giant radish, which becomes an unusual element in the championship contest. This is not the small, intimate package created by Beatrix Potter, but Thompson and Taylor are pretty faithful to the original tone and art style. Engaging watercolor pictures in oval shapes face the text pages, which carry smaller scenes as well. As with so many of the media makeovers and extensions common in our time, a decent amount of craft and a long-familiar original will make this offering welcome with some readers and criticized by others. Larger collections should probably include it as a spinoff.—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston