The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit (review)

In this original sequel to Potter's classic story, Peter gets an unexpected visit to Scotland after falling asleep in the McGregors' picnic basket. Escaping the basket, Peter runs into family friend Finlay McBurney and soon finds himself participating in the local Highland Games. After secretly devouring the interior of an enormous radish intended for the competition, Peter astonishes everyone by easily throwing the now-lighter radish a fair distance, thereby winning the games' Golden Cup. However, Peter soon confesses his unfair advantage, the cup is returned to the rightful winner after a good laugh, and a homesick Peter is happily taken home. Though the plot meanders a bit, Thompson's writing is pithy and dryly humorous, and she is largely successful in making this tale both freshly original and an homage to Potter's tale. Thompson is skilled at echoing Potter's succinct narrative voice ("I imagine it will not surprise you to hear that Peter did not KEEP OUT. He WENT IN") and at providing piquant details about the animals' lives. Taylor's art utilizes a warmer, brighter palette than Potter's, but her figures and backgrounds look Potter-esque without being direct copies. Brown and white Peter is easily identifiable in his signature blue coat, and the ebony Finlay McBurney is striking against the other rabbits' varying shades of brown. Traditionalists may balk at such interference with a classic, not only in the book's content but also in its larger, picture-book trim size (which may disappoint those who love Potter's diminutive volumes while pleasing those who have tried in vain to share Potter's tiny pictures with a large group). Those willing to give this a fair shake, though, may find Peter's new exploits a breath of fresh highland air.