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The World of Beatrix Potter: Peter Rabbit #12

Джемайма Патравата патица

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Колко странно е да видиш люпило от патета, отглеждани от кокошка!
Чуйте сега историята на Джемайма патравата патица, която беше недоволна, че жената на стопанина не й даваше да измъти собствените си яйца.

30 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1908

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About the author

Beatrix Potter

2,731 books1,979 followers
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, mycologist, and conservationist who is best known for her children's books, which featured animal characters such as Peter Rabbit.

Born into a wealthy household, Potter was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. She had numerous pets, and through holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, developed a love of landscape, flora, and fauna, all of which she closely observed and painted. Because she was a woman, her parents discouraged intellectual development, but her study and paintings of fungi led her to be widely respected in the field of mycology.

In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit and became secretly engaged to her publisher, Norman Warne, causing a breach with her parents, who disapproved of his social status. Warne died before the wedding.

Potter eventually published 24 children's books, the most recent being The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots (2016), and having become financially independent of her parents, was able to buy a farm in the Lake District, which she extended with other purchases over time.

In her forties, she married a local solicitor, William Heelis. She became a sheep breeder and farmer while continuing to write and illustrate children's books. Potter died in 1943 and left almost all of her property to The National Trust in order to preserve the beauty of the Lake District as she had known it, protecting it from developers.

Potter's books continue to sell well throughout the world, in multiple languages. Her stories have been retold in various formats, including a ballet, films, and in animation.

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5 stars
5,725 (41%)
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4,122 (30%)
3 stars
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315 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 388 reviews
Profile Image for Spencer Orey.
583 reviews174 followers
February 8, 2019
My kid's grandma bought us a 12 book set of the original Beatrix Potter books. I'll be reviewing them at random and out of order.

This one... It's pretty classist? Scatterbrained Jemima is desperate to have ducklings but the farmers keep taking her eggs. She waddles into the forest and meets a creepy newspaper-reading fox who convinces her to lay all her eggs at his weird stick house. The house is described with what is now a major swear word, so watch out if you're reading this out loud to kids. It absolutely should have been edited out in this edition. Hopefully it was changed for the American version? There's no excuse.

Anyway, it all adds up to a generically sexist variation on red riding hood, focused on the naivety of peasants, the existence of creepy dudes, and the hope of being rescued by noble-hearted men. I guess if you want to teach your kids to watch out for psychopaths, here you go.

My issue is that as always with these books, it's filled with constant unnecessary nastiness. Some chicken is really mean to Jemima and calls her lazy and unable to sit long enough to properly hatch the eggs. When Jemima gets rescued, dogs eat all the eggs she's been desperately saving up. Then at the very end, it's implied that a bunch of Jemima's ducklings died because she did such a bad job of sitting.
Profile Image for Rob.
39 reviews77 followers
March 28, 2022
""I wish to hatch my own eggs; I will hatch them all by myself," quacked Jemima Puddle-duck."

and this ...

"Come into the house as soon as you have looked at your eggs. Give me the herbs for the omelette. Be sharp!"

He was rather abrupt. Jemima Puddle-duck had never heard him speak like that.

She felt surprised, and uncomfortable.
Profile Image for dianne b..
658 reviews138 followers
August 13, 2023
Moral:
Educate girls and women, ducks included.
Start early, before they are laying eggs.
Creeps are everywhere and there usually isn't a doggy savior.
Profile Image for Chantal.
1,007 reviews161 followers
July 28, 2021
What a lovely, intelligent classic story. I didn't know I would like these stories of Beatrix Potter so much. Throughout the story, it kept me engaged on to what would happen. Great read.
Profile Image for Manny.
Author 34 books14.8k followers
March 7, 2011
There's a scene in the movie Heartburn where Jack Nicholson is reading this book to his very young daughter. He finishes it, and sits there stunned for a second. Then he shakes his head and whistles. "Whew! What a story!"

I concur :)
_______________________________________

The plot of Jemima Puddleduck is remarkable similar to that of many trashy French crime novels. I consider this further in my review of Les Stripteaseuses du Petit Ecran.
Profile Image for Dee.
303 reviews115 followers
July 21, 2023
"JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK was a simpleton: not even the mention of sage and onions made her suspicious"

This tale was first published in 1908 and this version i have is from 1987. These are the storys that were read to me when i was a child. Very young in 87. I remember these well from maybe a year or two after this year.

I love to re read childhood books to see what i think of these now. This one is no exception when i say it is with great fondness i look over these pages and read these lines. I remember poor Jemima and the cunning fox. The illustrations are fabulously done. The comical element to these with animals peeking round corners, up to no good and of course so smartly dressed.

With a lot of stories from this time there can be a tragic ending or a harsh lesson to learn. I was reminded re reading this how straight to the heart these stories can be.
There is still sweetness in this story to be found after all these years❤
Profile Image for Calista.
4,389 reviews31.3k followers
July 8, 2017
I'm not sure why I enjoyed this story so much and I did. Jemima, I think, reminds me of myself a tad bit. She takes up the archetype of the fool and walks blindly into her predators home. She even gathers herbs and ingredients to cook her with. Luckily the trusty dog is there to save the day. I love foxes and even though the fox is a scoundrel in this story I like the fox. This is a good one. You should read it.
Profile Image for Simone.
110 reviews
September 4, 2021
This is a great book. A mother duck trying to lay her eggs. In trying to find somewhere to nest she encounters a sly handsome fox. I was a little perturbed when drawing near to the ending and wondered whether I should have read this to my 3 year old granddaughter. I hope she doesn’t have nightmares! Love Beatrix Potter.
Profile Image for Caroline.
518 reviews666 followers
May 20, 2015
I read this as a child, but that was a gazillion years ago. Thanks to a friend sending me a link again today, I got the chance to enjoy it again, this time on-line. It was incredibly interesting too, in some instances Beatrix Potter's animal and bird-centric perspective makes one feel a bit uncomfortable. Nature (& mankind's) harsher realities are not avoided. What a rewarding read.

PS ....and those illustrations.... ♥ ♥ ♥

http://www.archive.org/stream/taleofj...


Profile Image for Maritina Mela.
443 reviews90 followers
June 15, 2019
*3.5

For god's sake, leave the poor duck to hatch her own eggs!

I don't know if I should rate this one since I am not the target audience, but hey, I have rated books with fairy tales before :)

It's a good thing this one was very short and easy to read. Also, the illustrations are so adorable!
Profile Image for Lilli Immel.
70 reviews5 followers
January 23, 2021
Aus heutiger Perspektive zwar immer noch wundervolle Illustrationen von Beatrix Potter, aber eine doch sehr moralstarke Geschichte, die im Vergleich zu den heutigen fröhlichen Kinderbüchern fast schon melancholisch wirkt. Als Kind hätte mich die Geschichte wohl eher traurig als erheitert zurückgelassen. Die Einfältigkeit von Emma Ententropf ist außerdem so gravierend, dass sie eigentlich nur Mitleid erregt und keinen Raum für das "Schöne" an der Erzählung lässt.
Profile Image for Jesica Canto.
Author 27 books269 followers
December 11, 2022
Esta historia la vi previamente en una adaptación a ballet para niños. Me parece interesante que el final no sea el típico de los cuentos de hadas al estilo Disney. Este cuento presenta una sucesión de diversas cuestiones para reflexionar que lo hace muy apropiado para adultos, no solo para niños.
Como todos los cuentos de la autora que he leído resulta muy apropiado para niños, para fomentar su curiosidad por la historia y los diversos animales. Las ilustraciones, también como en los otros cuentos, son bonitas y estimulantes.
Profile Image for Skylar Burris.
Author 19 books247 followers
October 26, 2008
Your average child in the early 1900's must have had considerably more advanced vocabulary expectations than your average child today. I'm always amazed by the complexity of these Potter stories compared to modern children's stories, although this one is slightly simpler than the others.

This is one of my daughter's favorite Beatrix Potter stories. Of course. There is a sinister threat involved, and potential death, and destruction. That sort of thing always manages to hold her interest. Beware of foxes bearing hospitality. Not a bad lesson. I'm glad she likes the old school tales so much. There's something about them that really appeal and impact in a way a lot of modern storytelling doesn't--I think it's that they treat a child with respect for his or her intelligence and ability to process dark themes without being psychologically scarred.
Profile Image for Anna.
868 reviews49 followers
February 12, 2017
A great cautionary fable about not blindly putting your trust in just anyone, even if they seem really nice. As my favorite musical "Into the Woods" puts it: "Nice is different than good."
Profile Image for Ladiibbug.
1,574 reviews81 followers
March 11, 2016
#9 Peter Rabbit children's series

Ooooh, this charmed me from the cover -- cutie pie Jemima Puddle-Duck with her baby blue bonnet and pink shawl. I spent an extra hour after reading, ooh'ing and ahhh-ing over the wonderful artwork. I could easily keep this on my bedside table and immerse myself in the art & story.

Absolutely loved the innocent Jemima Puddle-Duck happily walking along with the nattily dressed fox.

Somehow as a child I missed reading the Peter Rabbit books. In 2017, I plan to read the other 22 books in this precious series.

Inside cover says Beatrix Potter's farm had a real Jemima duck who wasn't good at hatching eggs, and that Potter's favorite sheepdog, Kep, was used in the story as the duck's wise friend who rescues her from the deceptively charming sandy-whiskered gentleman (the fox).
Profile Image for ♡︎bee♡︎.
556 reviews4 followers
August 7, 2015
Awwwn. This was so fun to read. I missed reading children's books and picked this one off the library shelf as I thought Jemima Puddle-duck looked really dashing and ladylike in her bonnet and all her 'duckery '. Might start rereading a lot of children's books now. Ah, the nostalgia.
Profile Image for Rosemary Standeven.
873 reviews43 followers
April 11, 2023
A lovely addition to the Beatrix potter series. Jemima wants to hatch her own eggs, but the farmwife keeps taking them away to be hatched by a hen. She runs off to find somewhere safe and secret to lay her eggs, and comes across a ‘nice gentleman’ fox, who offers to help. Our suspicions are aroused when the fox invites her to dinner-party to have a savoury omelette.
“Jemima Puddle Duck was a simpleton: not even the mention of sage and onions made her suspicious. She went around the farm-garden nibbling off snippets of all the different sorts of herbs that are used for stuffing roast duck.”

She may be a simpleton, but really – what does she think goes into an omelette!!!
Luckily, she is saved by the farm dog – though her eggs are not.
Profile Image for Lexi V.
410 reviews40 followers
May 2, 2022
i love how kep the wise collie looks out for jemima 🥰
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for GoldGato.
1,188 reviews40 followers
October 22, 2013
Jemima Puddle-Duck, a duck before her time, wants to hatch her own eggs. While her sister-in-law is quite happy to bypass such a rigorous job, Jemima is adamant...her eggs, her hatching. She leaves the safety of the farm to find a special nesting spot, but this liberated ducky runs into a foxy gentleman who is not quite the good samaritan as she believes him to be.

Allen Atkinson is the illustrator for this edition of the Potter classic. Such a wonderful talent who died so young, his Peter Rabbit series is worth the bookstore hunt as his characters always ring true (yes, white ducks should wear blue bonnets).

Book Season = Spring (ducklings)
Profile Image for Sharon Barrow Wilfong.
1,119 reviews3,954 followers
July 25, 2018
Another cautionary tale about trusting the wrong person.

Miss Jemima is tired of her eggs being taken from her after she lays them. She decides she's going to find a safe place to lay them where no one will find them.

She meets a distinguished looking gentleman that looks an awful lot like a fox who is more than willing to help her and leads her to a place well out of the way.

Fortunately for Jemima, she has a big mouth and informs the farm dog where she has been going. The dog and a couple of doggie friends ensure that Jemima gets to keep her eggs and her life. Strangely, the distinguished gentleman is not ever seen again.
Profile Image for Dichotomy Girl.
2,086 reviews155 followers
February 15, 2016
You know,I really feel sorry for this poor duck, who is a bit naive and seems to be taken advantage on every side by friend and foe. And the last line just seems like insult added to injury. I'm glad that I pre-read this, I might skip sharing it with the 3 year old.
Profile Image for Sophie Crane.
4,299 reviews169 followers
February 23, 2022
The whole Peter Rabbit series is a must for any child's collection and this tale is great. The story is about poor Jemima. All she wants to do is lay her eggs in peace, and be allowed to hatch them herself. The story is a classic and my children adore it.
Profile Image for K. Anna Kraft.
1,132 reviews35 followers
January 11, 2018
I have arranged my thoughts into a haiku:

"Zealous and naïve,
One might hope for nice things, but
Not know if they're good."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 388 reviews

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