The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter - Book Report/Review Example

Selected Text: The Tale of Peter Rabbit Introduction “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” is a children’s book authored and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. This book narrates the tale of a disobedient and mischievous Peter Rabbit. In this tale, Peter and his siblings, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton tail were warned by their mother against trespassing into Mr. McGregor’s garden. Albeit of his mother’s warning, Peter decides to venture into McGregor’s garden. Upon his arrival at the garden, he feeds on Mr. McGregor’s produce. Mr. McGregor spots the presence of the intruder and begins to chase Peter around the garden. In the course of this chase, Peter loses his shoes and clothes and becomes dishevelled. In addition to this, he catches a cold and begins to feel unwell. Nonetheless, he manages to escape and return home to his mother. While his siblings, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton tail enjoy, bread, milk and blackberries for supper, Peter was given Camomile tea and put to bed by his mother (Potter, 1902). The teaching purpose and context of the text Basically, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit “is a form of an animal fable where animals have attribution of human characteristics and exhibit true animal instincts. For instance, in this tale rabbits wear clothes, shoes and exhibit organization in the way they eat and live. This text can also be considered as a picture story book since it incorporates pictorial illustrations. This text evokes different meanings and as result it can be used for various teaching purposes. The text mainly reflects on a disciplinary perspective hence one can argue that Potter’s key aim of writing this book was to teach children on the dangers of disobedience. Besides this, Potter’s book, teaches against self-indulgence and the transgression of ethical and social boundaries. It disenchants children against the assertion of their unpredictable and wild nature and encourages the constrictions of civilised living (Mackey, 2002). Furthermore, due to the incorporation of various multimodal and multiliteracies elements, this text can serve as a teaching tool in learning areas such as literature, science, and health education among many other learning areas. Suitability of the text Generally, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” is designed to captivate the hearts of young readers through its simplicity and intrigue. Due to various semiotic factors embedded in this text, it is particularly suitable for children aged between 6 to 8 years. This text type is descriptive in nature. In this text, Potter embarks on an impressionistic description of sceneries, objects and events that occur in the tale. For instance, she notes; “Peter was most dreadfully frightened; he rushed all over the garden.....He lost one shoe among the cabbages and the other amongst the potatoes” (Potter 1902, p.9). This description creates a vivid impression to young readers about the place, events and objects captured in this text. This text type effectively helps to capture the attention of readers in this age group. It is worth noting that children aged between 6 to 8 years have a short attention spun, therefore the text type that Potter uses in this case, helps to engage and capture the attention of readers in this age group. Through the use of a descriptive text type, Potter shows rather than tell what happened, this in turn creates a particular mood that enables young reads to get vivid impressions of the characters, objects and places involved in this tale. In order to achieve this, Potter has careful chosen simple and descriptive nouns, adjectives, adverbs and other vocabularies (Potter 1902). The features of this text are also suitable for an audience of children aged between 6 to 8 years. In this text, Potter incorporates an appropriate mix of tension, suspense and action. This combination goes well with a young audience (Ross, 1996). Moreover, the fact that animal characters are incorporated in this text, makes it even more intriguing. Tucker & Rankin (2005) observe that children love and enjoy stories about animals. Although, this tale is a form of animal fable where animals have some attribution of human characteristics, Potter retains their identity as animals this in turn causes young readers to become curious, intrigued and as a result they may want to learn more. For example, when the author states “Peter began to cry” it sounds ironical, this in turn draws the readers’ attention to his emotions (Potter 1902, p.17). In addition to this, the pictorial illustrations used by the author in this text works in harmony with the narrative to intensify the vividness of the text. For instance, Potter narrates; “Mr McGregor came up with a sieve which he intended to pop on top of Peter, but Peter wriggled out just in time....” This narration is matched with a pictorial illustration showing Mr McGregor attempting to place a big sieve on Peter’s head (Potter 1902, p.14). The language component employed in this text is also suitable for an audience of children aged between 6 to 8 years. Potter uses simple and descriptive language that enables young readers to understand and relate to the events in this text. She uses phonologies and rhymes to captivate readers and emphasise on certain events in the tale. For instance, Potter describes “Peter sneezed, ‘Kertschoo...’! “After a time he began to wander about going lippity...lippity “(Potter 1902, pp.14-15). Moreover, the author’s choice of vocabulary in this text is sensitive to the needs and sensitivities of this audience. Furthermore, the author’s choice of words and vocabulary displays humour. For example, Mrs. Rabbit warns her children not to go into Mr. McGregor’s garden citing; “Your father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor”. This implies that he was eaten by the McGregor’s nonetheless, Potter uses a language that relatively conceals and humorously reveals this sad truth. In addition, the multiliteracies and multimodal links evident in this text suit the learning needs of an audience of children aged between 6 to 8 years. For example, this text is a picture book in which the visual and textual elements are organised in individual pages. The textual elements in each page are magnified to enable young readers to read with ease as they navigate through the each page. The linguistic elements incorporate a generic structure, vocabularies and simple grammar that suit a young audience. On the other hand, visual elements such as images and colour show that this text is suitable for children between the ages of 6 to 8 years. The images incorporated in this text portray vivid pictures of nature, Mr. McGregor, the rabbit characters, Mr. McGregor’s garden and other objects involved in the tale. The images and colours used help to draw the attention of young readers and make the tale more engaging. Additionally, this text highlights relationships between literature, culture and society. It fosters specific landscape meanings, values and attitudes. This in turn enables children in this age group to identify meanings, values and attitudes presented in this text. In this text, Potter has relatively explored literary meaning, images and cultural meanings. She also touches on geographic places and spaces (Potter 1902). Based on the age and learning needs of learners in this age group, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” provides a suitable tool that can enable these young readers to develop and nurture their literacy (Unsworth, 2001). Potential demands of text against the student cohort According to the Northern territory English Curriculum Framework, students between the age group of 6 to 8 years are expected to develop knowledge in the English language, literacy, literature and successfully apply this knowledge. When it comes to language and literature, students should have a sound grasp on the language features, forms as well as textual structures. They should also have the capacity to apply these to the construction and interpretation of texts. Furthermore, they should be able to construct and critically interpret multimodal, written and visual texts. When it comes to literacy, children in this age group should have the capacity to fluently and effectively understand and creatively construct spoken and written English text. They should also have the ability to read, speak, listen observe and write confidently and efficiently so as to make meaning in a broader range of context (NT Curriculum Framework 2009). “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” provides a suitable base that can be used to achieve the stated curriculum standards. Using this text as a teaching base demands that the alleged student cohort effectively engage with the text and draw appropriate meaning from it. Through its simple and descriptive nature, this text requires that young readers should critically explore both the written and visual elements and deduce meaning from the text. Thus when going through this text student have to understand the language features in the text and critically interpret the texts. The language features incorporated in this text such as the phonology, vocabulary and grammar structure demand that student go beyond the common use and application of language and try to contextualise the meaning of the used text. Versatility of the text The themes presented in this text are versatile enough to be applied in different learning areas thus this text can serve as a teaching base in learning areas such as literature, science, and health education among many other learning areas. This text captures the essence of a multi-dimensional text which can be used in different contexts. It displays an interconnectedness of literature and language to the notion of literacy in different educational settings. For instance, this text can efficiently be applied in science, health and physical education.For instance, when it comes to health and physical education, this text shows a wide range of healthy foods such as a loaf of brown bread, blackberries, lettuce, French beans, parsley, raddish, cabbages and cucumbers among many other food types. Potter’s selection of food types is rather queer in this case mainly because the foods mentioned in this text are all healthy and organic food types. This text can be used to creatively teach children to identify healthy food types that have significant nutritional value. It can also be used to teach children the importance of physical activities. In this tale, Potter shows that Peter the rabbit managed to escape from the feverish hands of Mr. McGregor mainly because of his running speed. This text effectively highlights the importance of healthy eating and physical activities. This is in line with the standards set in the Northern Territory curriculum on health and physical education. Moreover, when it comes to science, this text efficiently highlights animal habitats and how plants are grown. For instance Potter notes that; “They lived with their mother in sand-bank underneath the root of a very big tree” (Potter 1902, p.1). “Mr Mc Gregor was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages...” (Potter 1902, p.9). The illustrations in these texts can be used in science to teach about the animal habitat and how plants are grown. Justification of text choice based on unit readings and current theory In the article, “Interaction between learning and development” Vygotsky (1978) argues that although learning is often related directly to the course of child development the two cannot be realised in parallel or equal measure. He further argues that learning is not part of development since it is external. Instead development is a prerequisite of learning. Vygotsky proposes the Zone of Proximal Development as a new approach that efficiently relates children’s development and learning. With reference to the Zone of Proximal Development, Vygotsky observes that learning ignites some internal developmental processes that are gradually developed through guidance and interaction with others. When these processes are internalised they inherently become part of children’s development. Based on the sentiments of Vygotsky (1978) in this article, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” provides a suitable base that mainly accentuates on the learning process of children. I chose this text mainly because it incorporates different themes and language components that demands that children aged between 6 to 8 years to go beyond the common use and application of language and try to contextualise the meaning of the used text. As a result, they are bound to learn new things that will gradually contribute to their intellectual development. The inference in this text is in harmony with Vygotsky’s (1978) outlook on learning and development. Moreover, I chose this text due to the suitability of its language functions. The language components used in this text efficiently serve the intended purposes of the text which is to inform, educate and entertain young readers. For example, in this tale Potter employs a descriptive language form by embarking on an impressionistic description of sceneries, objects and events that occur in the tale. Moreover, her choice of vocabularies, grammar structure and use of phonology further enhances the suitability of this text. As a result, she is able to capture the attention of readers, create vivid impressions, entertain, inform and educate young readers through this tale. In support of these language functions, Gibbons (1991) recommends that language should be employed according to its purpose of use. This is mainly due to the fact that students may come across new language that they are unfamiliar with and hence the new language must be taught explicitly so as to support the comprehension of texts. Conclusion The text that I selected is “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”. Basically, this text is an illustrated children’s book authored and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Due to various semiotic factors embedded in this text, it is particularly suitable for children aged between 6 to 8 years. In this text, Potter incorporates an appropriate mix of tension, suspense and action. This combination effectively captures the attention of a young audience (Ross, 1996). The suitability of this text to intended audience of young readers is also based on its language components and versatility. Basically, this text provides a suitable tool that can enable young readers to develop and nurture their literacy (Mackey, 2002). References Gerber, A. & Golden, J. (1990). A semiotic perspective of text: the picture story book event. Journal of Reading Behaviour 22(3), pp. 203-219. Gibbons, P. (1991). Learning to learn in a second language. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Mackey, M. (2002). Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit: A Children's Classic at 100, Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (2009). English Learning Area. Retrieved on 24 March, 2012 from Potter, B. (1902). The Tale of Peter Rabbit. England: Frederick Warne & Co. Ross, R. (1996). Storyteller: The Classic That Heralded America's Storytelling Revival, Atlanta: August House. Tucker, M. & Rankin, K. (2005). Bible stories & Crafts: Animals, California: Teacher Created Resources. Unsworth, L. (2001). Teaching multiliteracies across the curriculum: Changing context of text and image in classroom practise. Buckingham: Open University Press. Vygotsky, L.(1978). Interaction between learning and development. In Mind and Society (pp. 79-91). Cambridge , MA: Harvard University Press. Read More

The language component employed in this text is also suitable for an audience of children aged between 6 to 8 years. Potter uses simple and descriptive language that enables young readers to understand and relate to the events in this text. She uses phonologies and rhymes to captivate readers and emphasise on certain events in the tale. For instance, Potter describes “Peter sneezed, ‘Kertschoo.’! “After a time he began to wander about going lippity.lippity “(Potter 1902, pp.14-15).

Moreover, the author’s choice of vocabulary in this text is sensitive to the needs and sensitivities of this audience. Furthermore, the author’s choice of words and vocabulary displays humour. For example, Mrs. Rabbit warns her children not to go into Mr. McGregor’s garden citing; “Your father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor”. This implies that he was eaten by the McGregor’s nonetheless, Potter uses a language that relatively conceals and humorously reveals this sad truth.

In addition, the multiliteracies and multimodal links evident in this text suit the learning needs of an audience of children aged between 6 to 8 years. For example, this text is a picture book in which the visual and textual elements are organised in individual pages. The textual elements in each page are magnified to enable young readers to read with ease as they navigate through the each page. The linguistic elements incorporate a generic structure, vocabularies and simple grammar that suit a young audience.

On the other hand, visual elements such as images and colour show that this text is suitable for children between the ages of 6 to 8 years. The images incorporated in this text portray vivid pictures of nature, Mr. McGregor, the rabbit characters, Mr. McGregor’s garden and other objects involved in the tale. The images and colours used help to draw the attention of young readers and make the tale more engaging. Additionally, this text highlights relationships between literature, culture and society.

It fosters specific landscape meanings, values and attitudes. This in turn enables children in this age group to identify meanings, values and attitudes presented in this text. In this text, Potter has relatively explored literary meaning, images and cultural meanings. She also touches on geographic places and spaces (Potter 1902). Based on the age and learning needs of learners in this age group, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” provides a suitable tool that can enable these young readers to develop and nurture their literacy (Unsworth, 2001).

Potential demands of text against the student cohort According to the Northern territory English Curriculum Framework, students between the age group of 6 to 8 years are expected to develop knowledge in the English language, literacy, literature and successfully apply this knowledge. When it comes to language and literature, students should have a sound grasp on the language features, forms as well as textual structures. They should also have the capacity to apply these to the construction and interpretation of texts.

Furthermore, they should be able to construct and critically interpret multimodal, written and visual texts. When it comes to literacy, children in this age group should have the capacity to fluently and effectively understand and creatively construct spoken and written English text. They should also have the ability to read, speak, listen observe and write confidently and efficiently so as to make meaning in a broader range of context (NT Curriculum Framework 2009). “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” provides a suitable base that can be used to achieve the stated curriculum standards.

Using this text as a teaching base demands that the alleged student cohort effectively engage with the text and draw appropriate meaning from it. Through its simple and descriptive nature, this text requires that young readers should critically explore both the written and visual elements and deduce meaning from the text.

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