The Child’s Child: Theory of Mind in the Work of Beatrix Potter

The essay discusses how children’s book author Beatrix Potter was able to portray something essential about childhood through the medium of her miniature books portraying small animals in human attire. It is hypothesized that a proliferation of themes concerning clothing and dress-up in the Potter books embody the quality of “markedness” that is intrinsic to the nature of childhood, likely contributing to the iconic staying power these books have had for generations.