Beatrix Potter was born Helen Beatrix Potter on July 28, 1866 to Rupert William and Helen Leech Potter. Her family was a wealthy one living in south west London. As a child, Beatrix grew up lonely and that is why she kept herself occupied by reading books, painting and drawing. Sometimes, she would visit her grandparents where she developed a love for nature. It is here that Beatrix observed wild and domesticated animals.

When Beatrix was 5 years old, her parents started the tradition of taking summer holidays in Scotland. While she was here, Beatrix started sketching anthropomorphic rabbits, caterpillars and birds' eggs.

As Beatrix was growing up, she started keeping pet rabbits, and one was named Benjamin H. Bouncer, who she sketched from all angles. In fact, Benjamin's sketch was also used for the Potter family's Christmas cards. In 1889, her brother convinced her to sell her sketches. Potter sold 6 sketches to a publisher, who used them on greeting cards and as illustrations for a book of verses.

After Benjamin rabbit died, Beatrix got herself another rabbit named Peter Piper. It is after this rabbit that she named her character in The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

In the 1890s, Beatrix sent a whole lot of stories to her former governess' children. It was the governess who realized that the stories had potential, and convinced Beatrix to compile them into books. Beatrix selected one story that she had written about a rabbit named Peter, but realized that the story was too short to make a book. So, she expanded it and added illustrations, and came up with the beautiful and intriguing tale of Peter rabbit.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit was first published in 1902. By 1903, over 50,000 copies of the book had been sold. Even today, the book is considered to a classic children's book that all children must read and enjoy.

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