Who Was Peter Rabbit?
Although other children were never allowed over to play, Beatrix was able to keep some very interesting pets, and she used them for her models. Later, they worked their way into her stories. The real Peter Rabbit was her constant companion. She would take him and other pets, a mouse named Hunca Munca and a hedgehog named Mrs. Tiggy, when she visited friends both in town and in the country. As time went on, Annie Moore, her former governess, had a large family who became very dear to Beatrix. She often wrote them letters when she was away from town. When young Noel Moore was very ill, Beatrix sent him a story with pictures about a rabbit named Peter. She also penned a story about a frog named Jeremy Fisher for his young brother, Eric. The children loved these tales, and, in a few years, Beatrix borrowed them back to turn them the first of her books. Children then and now loved the little stories, and over the years, Beatrix made enough money so she could afford to live away from home. S
