It's not your mama's Peter Rabbit

December 16, 1901

111 years ago Peter Rabbit stole his way into Mr. McGregor's garden.

Somewhat later Peter pitter-patted into my life 

& everything Beatrix Potter stole my heart.

For me interactive meant the filmed production

Tales of Beatrix Potter 

danced by London's Royal Ballet 

which I caught on the big screen in Boston.

The Chicago Sun-Times gave it four stars & Roger Ebert closed his review with one of my  favorite lines: "The stories are told simply and directly and with a certain almost clumsy charm. Instead of going for perfection in the dancing, the Royal Ballet dancers have gone for characterizations... . The various animals have their quirks and eccentricities, and they are fairly authentic: The frog dances like a frog, for example, and not like Nureyev."^[4]

Time passed. 

Within the decade I was the mother of three and my daughter's godmother got us started collecting.

My husband was the bedtime story reader, Ms. Potter's eccentric country characters his early favorites. Night after night, tale after tale, he recounted the adventures of Mrs. Tiggy Winkle, Benjamin Bunny, Jemima Puddleduck,  Jeremy Fisher, until our kids became, well,

soporific just like The Flopsy Bunnies.

There's a recent addition to the piecemeal collection~~tattered edged to pristine~~now at my daughter's.

During a visit a while back, I opened our little copy of Peter Rabbit only to have the two year old on my lap repeatedly tap the pages. His four year old sister got to her feet. "We need the iPad, Marmie. Then they'll come alive."

It's not the Royal Ballet & it's not your mama's Peter Rabbit. 
I hope this interactive library grows & soon they can tap 
The Tale of Jeremy Fisher. 

It's one more intriguing way to introduce, delight, 

and yes, make the joy of reading come alive. 

If that well-meaning frog moves like Nureyev, it's ok with me.