Children's Corner at the Beatrix Potter Gallery

Did you know that at the Beatrix Potter Gallery we have a nice cosy Children's Corner - with books and activities suitable for children of different ages?

We've been busy over the Winter making sure there are nice new books that reflect our theme for this year; "On holiday with Beatrix Potter."

We have a Maisy Goes on Holiday Story Sack - aimed at our younger visitors. If you don't know what a 'Story Sack' is - it's literally a story book in a sack (or in this case a lovely 'Herdy' Bag). The idea is that an adult reads the main story to the child and then they use the 'props' in the bag to re-enact or talk about the story. There is usually a more factual book included and a game to play also.

For younger children we also have a beautiful Beatrix Potter themed frieze with magnetic characters and objects on - creating stories in this way certainly fires the children's imaginations.

As our theme is 'Holidays' this year - we also have a wee suitcase that the children can pack and unpack with the kind of things they'd take on a seaside holiday!

One of our very special new exhibits this year in the Beatrix Potter Gallery, is the Natural History Cabinet; full of specimens that Beatrix and her brother, Bertram, collected. You can see butterflies, moths, beetles, dragonflies, but also shells, rocks and fossils. This cabinet has been very kindly loaned to us by the Beatrix Potter Society.

We've taken the theme of Natural History for the older children's books, including the wonderful true story of Mary Anning, a little girl who found a very important fossil.

Beatrix loved to scramble about looking for fossils while on holiday and she wrote in her journal about a conversation with an elderly gentleman that she met - which shows her magpie like collecting manner!

"He seems to think it positively improper to collect fossils from all over the country, but I do not feel under obligation to confine my attention to a particular formation [...]. I beg to state I intend to pick up everything I find which is not too heavy."

And of course, after all,  we are the Beatrix Potter Gallery and we shall have Storytellers in the Gallery reading Beatrix's lovely stories to both children and adults alike! So if you'd love to hear The Tale of Peter Rabbit read aloud  - please check with us when our storytellers will be in.

A new friend for Peter Rabbit - when Emma met William

We know that Beatrix Potter is about much more than just Peter Rabbit but sometimes we do focus on the little chap and this blog is one of those occasions. 

Some people might have been daunted by the prospect of filling Beatrix Potter's writing shoes but the very talented Emma Thompson has embraced it enthusiastically (and why not, with an Oscar for her writing in the form of her adapted screenplay for 'Sense and Sensibility' !) .

Her first foray into the world of Peter Rabbit was last year in her first Peter Rabbit book which we featured on this blog when it was released.

Her new story is a Christmas tale involving Peter Rabbit and a new friend William.

 
We could write a bit more about it here, but instead here's Emma herself to introduce it in a short video made on location at Yew Tree Farm (the stand-in farm for Hill Top in the 'Miss Potter' film)...

The book is out now, published by Penguin, and if you buy it from Hill Top shop you can help support our work. Visit in person, Hill Top shop is open seven days a week until Christmas, or buy via mail order. You can contact Hill Top Shop on 015394 36269;  or by e-mail



Now you can like us and follow us on Facebook - rabbiting on about Beatrix Potter's patch;

post by Linda
images and video Penguin books. 
(If you can't see the video playing here in this post, this is the link for it on You Tube.)

The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret

We at the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead have a secret - a really well kept secret! We have a second hand book shop! The problem is - we don't want it to be a secret! We want the world to know about our Book Shop!

There are a couple of things that make it a special place: it's almost certainly the smallest Book Shop in the UK and the building features in one of Beatrix Potter's books - The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan.

It is in a wee building next door to the Gallery and is run by a team of volunteers, who are always happy to chat to people and answer any questions – regarding the National Trust or the Lake District in general. (Oh – yes – and on books too!)

The volunteers and myself have had a couple of fun training sessions in which we learnt what to look out for in a book – what makes a book desirable. This did somewhat alter our pre-conceived ideas and gave us more confidence in pricing the actual books. We’ve also been learning how to make best possible use of our tiny space; how to display books more attractively.

After our training we are planning a big sort out – putting all we’ve learnt into practice. We’ve started on a few things – but look out – we have BIG ideas for such a small Book Shop!

Rather than try and be all things to all people in such a small shop - We are looking to specialise in a couple of areas. The two most obvious areas for us, as we're part of the Beatrix potter Gallery, are Children’s Literature and also local/walking/mountain books. But as we're in a prime holiday area - of course we're still going to stock a wide range of fiction.

We are always on the look out for new folk to join our volunteer team, give donations of books or buy some lovely books - maybe you  would like to do one or all of those things!

We look forward to seeing you - and please - just this once - don't keep a secret!

For Beatrix Potter collectors everywhere

Beatrix Potter fans include a dedicated group of collectors and 2012 is a dream year for them.

The retail team at Hill Top and the Beatrix Potter Gallery have put together a great guide to the special books being published this year.

Open publication - Free publishing - More 2012
(If you can't see the guide here click this link to go direct to it, opens in a new window.)

With limited edition anniversary books and lovely additions to the range there's something for everyone this year. Visit the shops in person; or phone Hill Top Shop on 015394 36269; Hawkshead shop on 015394 36471; or e-mail: hilltop.shop@nationaltrust.org.uk