Benjamin Bunny Could Learn a Thing or Two From His Cousin Peter's Mistakes

I come from a very eclectic family. My grandparents (George and Martha) are hippos. My dad (Ronald) is a clown. And my brother (Benjamin) is a bunny. I am reminded of the latter because of the approach of Easter, which always brings Beatrix Potter to mind, both because several of her books involve rabbits and because one Easter, my brothers and I received a collection of six tiny Potter books put out by BP, for whatever reason. Perhaps so we wouldn't forget that the "B" stands for "British"? Or because the powers that be were amused that BP also signifies "Beatrix Potter"? Whatever the case, we got a lovely little collection that Easter, and among those six books was The Tale of Benjamin Bunny.

It's interesting that Benjamin is referred as a bunny while his cousin Peter is introduced to us as a rabbit. I imagine Potter did this for two reasons: because "Benjamin Bunny" has such a nice alliterative ring to it, and because she wanted to emphasize the fact that Benjamin is younger. As such, he does not have the benefit of Peter's wisdom, acquired after his harrowing ordeal in the adventure bearing his name, so he is cheerfully headstrong in contrast to Peter, who spends most of this book in a state of anxious misery.

The mission that the two rabbits soon undertake is the recovery of Peter's clothes, which are hanging on the scarecrow where Mr. McGregor put them after Peter lost them in his garden. Peter ought to be overjoyed when he hears from Benjamin that the McGregor's are off for a day-long outing, since this should allow him ample time to retrieve his wardrobe, but his reaction is one of petulance. He glumly remarks that he wishes it would rain. If it did, it would ruin the fun of his human nemeses, but it would also likely crush his chances of getting his clothes back, and even if he succeeded, they would be all wet. Unless it didn't start to rain until he and his garments were safely home.

At any rate, Peter's caution and lack of enthusiasm for the task ahead of him lead Benjamin to take control, and he cavalierly strolls through the garden, nibbling on lettuce and wearing Mr. McGregor's very silly (and much too large for a bunny) hat, which was used to complete the scarecrow's ensemble. But his education is about to begin when he hides himself, along with Peter and a kerchief full of onions for Peter's mother, underneath a basket in order to escape the farmer's cat, only to have that cat hop onto the basket and remain there for hours.

The language Potter uses is a bit quaint, so not all the words will be familiar to contemporary children, but this is just a point of interest rather than a pitfall. The strangest of these words is probably "tam-o-shanter," which is the proper term for Mr. McGregor's floppy Scottish wool cap with a pom-pom in the middle. The corporal punishment Benjamin endures at the paws of his severe father could raise objections, though it is also his father who saves him from his life-threatening predicament. I also find it interesting how Potter puts herself into the story somewhat by stating that she once bought some of Mrs. Rabbit's hand-knit items at a fair.

Her illustrations are, as always, incredibly detailed. The rabbits look perfectly realistic except for the fact that they are wearing clothes. I especially love the expressiveness of their faces, particularly in one illustration in which Benjamin sits down next to his cousin, who is shuddering sadly while wrapped up in a handkerchief. He looks so comforting in this picture, and his one exposed eye is fully open, seeming to exude calmness, while Peter's is narrowed with crinkles around the edges, making it look as though he's been crying.

In the end, Peter and Benjamin are both good little bunnies who have learned the consequences of doing not-so-good things. The Tale of Benjamin Bunny is a charming story, whether or not it's Easter and whether or not you happen to have a brother named Benjamin.