Since 1902, young readers have followed the adventures of the mischievous Peter Rabbit as he sneaks into Mr. McGregor's garden - against his mother's wishes - and is chased around by the angry gardener before finally escaping and returning home. Kids will fall in love with the clothes-wearing bunny and parents and grandparents will enjoy re-reading one of their childhood favorites. The story provides a gentle reminder that "mother/father-knows-best" and children should listen to their parents as Peter learned after disobeying by going to the garden, eating too many vegetables and getting a tummy ache.
The sturdy board book format makes this a great story for young children who haven't mastered the gentle turning-of-the-page yet. On one page, Peter hides in a watering can - see if your child can find his ears sticking out of the top!
I shared this story with the three-year-old I babysit, Emily. She adores bunnies, automatically making this book a hit. We've been working on understanding the importance of following directions for the past couple weeks and this story helps emphasize the importance of that. At the end of the book, she said she felt sad that Peter didn't get the yummy treats that his sisters, who had followed their mother's instructions, got to eat. We discussed why that happened and hopefully it will later serve as a reminder to her to listen and follow directions as well!
--Abby