2026.07.05
English Translations of Exhibition Texts
At the second exhibition hall of Karuizawa Picturebook Museum
1. Summer Exhibition
Stories of Cats and Mice, and Sometimes Frogs
The Peter Rabbit series features many cat and mouse characters. In some stories, the cats and mice are the main focus, of course, but there are also stories where they clash in ways that are sure to make you laugh. This exhibition also highlights the frog characters. In addition to Mr. Jeremy Fisher, who lives by the water, there’s also a frog named Mr. Jackson. The seven works featured in this exhibition were created by Beatrix Potter in just seven years, from 1903 to 1910. Please enjoy these works, which represent the peak of her career as an author.
2. “The Tale of Two Bad Mice”
Background
In this story, a mouse couple named Hunca Munca and Tom Thumb get angry when they discover that the food in the dollhouse isn’t real, and they start misbehaving. These two mice were based on Beatrix Potter’s observations of house mice that she caught on her farm. The two lived in a dollhouse. In Beatrix’s letters, she describes how Hunca Munca would carry dolls the same size as herself into her nest and how she would refuse the food (toy food) that stuck to the plates and would not come off. Beatrix began creating this story by sketching these two mice.
3. The Secret of the Dollhouse
The dollhouse where the mice lived had been made by Beatrix Potter’s editor, Norman Warne, for his niece. Furthermore, Jane, the mistress of the house, and Lucinda, the cook, who appear in the story, were also dolls that Norman had provided. To Beatrix, Norman was not only an editor but also a dear person. However, the relationship between Beatrix, who was born into a wealthy family, and Norman, a merchant, was not welcomed by Beatrix’s family. Even so, Norman supported Beatrix, who was determined to keep making books no matter what, in many ways and helped her create her works.
4. “The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan”
Background
Ribby the cat invited her friend, Duchess the dog, to her house. However, Duchess absolutely refuses to eat the mouse pie Ribby baked. So, she sneaks into Ribby’s house, intending to swap it for the meat pie she baked herself, but…. Although the Victorian era, in which Beatrix Potter lived, is often described as a glamorous time, it was also an era of strict etiquette and customs. Since the Potter family was wealthy, they were probably often constrained by such things. Perhaps Beatrix wanted to say that, just like the two cats, trying to keep up appearances doesn’t work.
5. “The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan”
the backdrop for the story
Beatrix Potter used various locations in Near Sawrey, England, as models. As you look at the illustrations in the picture book, try to imagine what the village in the story is like. The year 1905 was a significant turning point for Beatrix. That summer, Beatrix received a letter from Norman, her editor and like a partner to her, proposing marriage. Despite her family’s opposition, Beatrix decided to marry him. However, shortly after their engagement, Norman fell ill with a blood disorder and passed away a few weeks later.
6. “The Tale of Tom Kitten”
Background
The three characters—Tom, Moppet, and Mittens—are modeled after the mischievous village children who used to get upon the stone wall in Beatrix Potter’s garden. According to the villagers, Beatrix back then was a very fearsome woman. She would often chase after them when they got into mischief, but especially when she caught them climbing over the garden fence, she would relentlessly chase them down, grab them, and drag them back to their parents. From the children’s perspective, they probably never would have dreamed that she was a picture book author. From Mrs. Tabitha Twitchi
7. Do Puddle-Ducks Like Clothes?
The three Puddle-Ducks who took the kittens’ clothes have been named Mr. Drake, Rebeccah, and Jemima. At the end of this story, it seemed like they still hadn’t found their clothes, but if you read “The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck,” it looks like Jemima did manage to find her favorite clothes. In folktales and fairy tales, bad things often happen when the main character breaks a promise. Perhaps Tom and his brothers had their clothes taken away by the Puddle-Ducks simply because they didn’t follow their mother’s instructions.
8. “The Story of Miss Moppet”
Background
This story is about Moppet the kitten, who tries to catch a mouse but ends up being outwitted by her. Around this time, Beatrix Potter wanted to “create picture books that would be easier for younger children to read,” so she kept the text to a minimum and focused on the illustrations to make the story easy to understand. Shortly after Beatrix bought Hill Top Farm in 1905, her family was plagued by rats and decided to get a few cats to deal with the problem. This is how the stories in the “Cat vs. Mouse” series came to be, and then led to that shocking incident involving Tom.
9. “The Tale of Samuel Whiskers”
Background
Tom Kitten was exploring the attic. There, he ran into a rat couple named Samuel Whiskers and Anna Maria, who turned him into a “kitten dumpling roly-poly pudding” and almost ate him. Poor Tom—even after he grew up, he remained completely afraid of rats. The way Beatrix Potter subjects Tom—who was modeled after a mischievous child who had visited her home—to such a terrible fate in the picture book really brings to mind the “very fearsome woman” that the villagers described her as. On the other hand, it seems Beatrix also had a soft heart for rats—those tiny creatures that are so easily driven away by humans.
10. “The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher”
Background
Mr. Jeremy Fisher was one of the characters developed by Beatrix Potter during the period following the death of her former editor and fiancé, Norman Warne. After Norman’s death, his older brother Harold Warne became involved in publishing Potter’s books. When Beatrix Potter wrote this story, she wrote in a letter to Harold that she knew some people didn’t like frogs, but that she thought she had convinced Norman that she could make it into a really pretty book with plenty of flowers and water plants in the background. Please be sure to read this beautiful work, which Beatrix created while coping with the grief of losing a loved one—a grief so deep that she had been unable to sketch.
11. “The Tale of Mrs.Tittlemouse”
Background
This story, published in 1910, was originally a handmade book given to Nellie, the daughter of Harold, the editor in charge of the collection. An uninvited guest after another arrives at the home of a mouse lady who loves all things clean. Ground beetles, ladybugs, spiders, bees…. This mouse lady, Mrs. Tittemouse, also appears in “The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies,” where she helps the children by gnawing through the bag they have been trapped in. She protects her own way of life while also being kind to others. That is the charm of this tiny mouse lady—her character, which is somehow very human-like.
12. The Insects That Didn’t Appear
For Beatrix Potter, insects were also subjects of observation, and she left behind many sketches of them. Although various insects are depicted in this story as well, she made several changes before settling on the final version. For example, the “ground beetle” was originally a “earwig,” and the “centipede” became a “painted lady.” In addition to the changes Beatrix made herself, there was also a change made in response to a complaint from the editor, where “woodlouse” was changed to “a wriggly thing.” In Beatrix’s ability to maintain a perspective toward insects that are often disliked while also considering the reader, we can glimpse her attitude as a writer and her sense of balance.
13. “Personification” Depicted by Beatrix Potter
One of the appealing aspects of Beatrix’s stories is “personification.” As you follow the characters through the story, there are many scenes where you will find yourself thinking, “I know people just like that,” or “This kind of thing happens all the time.” This story was published in a British newspaper as a story that has a good effect on men when men and women live together. “There is a dad who just lazes around while his wife cleans on her day off.” It seems this story was a hit with families like that. It seems like it would be fun to try finding a character that looks like you.
14. Conclusion
Beatrix Potter’s words and stories are enjoyed by readers of all ages. Her illustrations are beautiful and intricate, yet they never lose their adorable. The author’s artistic dedication and her keen sense of balance, which stays close to the reader’s perspective—these are the reasons why the Peter Rabbit picture book series remains so popular even today. Depending on the year of publication, you can get a sense of Beatrix’s life through the content of her picture books. Please try reading these picture books while imagining her life.