3 stars
I vaguely remember reading some of these stories as a child, but really only remembered Peter Rabbit so I decided to go back and reread the collection.Overall, it is a well put together collection of stories with a variety of characters. I loved that the stories were interconnected and that you were able to read about some of the characters relations such as Benjamin Bunny, Peter Rabbit’s cousin. Obviously these are old stories so some of the terms and experiences are a bit outdated. There are a few definitions added within the text (warren) or explained in the actual story (credit), but there are still a few things that young modern readers may not understand. Also, because of the time period in which the stories were written, some of them are a little violent or may be off-putting to modern parents and young readers. In the forward, it is stated that, “the stories are not sentimental ones of cute and precious little animals… Her stories are true to life and to the laws of nature” (vii-viii), thus there are various animal interactions that are a bit violent (cat vs. mouse, fox vs. duck/eggs, human vs. rabbit) and may make some of the stories less enjoyable for certain readers. The illustrations were beautiful and really added more depth to the narration, especially at times in which the animal in question was not specifically stated in the text.A good collection of tales, some better than others, but definitely an interesting read. While some aspects were dated, the book can still be enjoyed by a variety of audiences today.