A pleasant biography of the beloved artist and writer with plenty of pictures. I knew Potter loved animals and nature but not much more. Her parents were rather overbearing and when an engagement ended with her fiance's death she remained at home, a dutiful daughter. But eventually she was able to get her stories published and became independent. With her earnings she bought a farm and raised sheep, and continued to buy property to preserve the countryside.
She married late in life (to her lawyer) and seems to have been a very nice person who was beloved by all. Upon her death she left her many properties to the National Trust.
She had pets from an early age and the story of Peter Rabbit and Mr MacGregor started as a story about her rabbit, Peter, that she wrote for child friends. This book quotes correspondence about a box she had made to transport her white mice, and a goddaughter recalls that when she came to visit she'd bring the mice and let them loose in the dining room. She sounds like she would have been a jolly person to know!

A comprehensive, well researched story of Beatrix Potter's life in her different roles as the title suggests. Lots of photographs, many taken by her father, of Beatrix from an early age are included as are many of Beatrix's drawings, of the Peter Rabbit series, nature specimens and landscapes. ( )