The Cottage Tales are mysteries for readers of all ages, featuring beloved author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. In 1905, Beatrix bought a farm in England’s beautiful Lake District. The eight books in this series follow her adventures as she gradually moves away from her London life as a dutiful Victorian-age daughter, and into an independent life that offers new hopes, new love, and the possibility of self-determination. You will enjoy the authenticity of the historical setting and the details of Beatrix’s life, smile at the antics of the animals, and warm to the strong feeling of place and community. A stand-out series, for adult and young adult readers.
It’s the heart of summer in 1913, and Beatrix is eager to marry her fiancé, solicitor William Heelis. But there are a few obstacles blocking the happy couple’s path to the altar, including (of course!) opposition from Mr. and Mrs. Potter and the death of a carpenter who is working on Castle Cottage. The final book in the series.
An aeroplane is terrorizing the people and animals of the Land Between the Lakes—until the developer meets a nasty accident on Oat Cake Crag. But over in Near Sawrey, romance blooms. Wedding bells? Whose? And who (or as Professor Galileo Newton Owl would say: whoooo) is writing poison pen letters?
A burning haystack, a footpath closing, a mysterious ghost, and big doings at The Brockery, where the venerable Bosworth Badger begins to think about handing over the Badger’s precious Badge of Authority to the younger generation. And important developments in various village romances.
An antiquities collector dies in what looks like an accident (but is it)? An intrepid badger takes a winter swim in Moss Eccles Tarn. And an ambitious teenage dragon discovers that there’s more to life than guarding a golden treasure. Meanwhile, the villagers are mystified by a tangle of intrigues–and Miss Potter is troubled by hints of a romance.
An abandoned baby has turned up on the doorstep at Hill Top Farm and Miss Potter must find out who she is. Meanwhile, Jemima Puddleduck is mortified by the book Miss Potter has written about her. How would you like the whole world to know that you were so foolish as to lay your eggs in a fox’s back parlor?
Miss Potter is shocked to discover that her new home at Hill Top Farm is overrun with rats, while in nearby Far Sawrey, mild-mannered vicar Samuel Sackett also finds himself plagued with unwanted visitors: a cousin and his wife who have long overstayed their welcome. Rats, cats, fairies, and a lady with a mysterious past.
Everyone in Sawrey likes Ben Hornby. So when Beatrix finds the shepherd dead in the meadow and suspects foul play, while the village animals are deeply concerned about the fate of Old Ben’s missing sheep. Although she’s distracted by duties at the farm and the sad plight of the young girl who lives at Tidmarsh Manor, Miss Potter must get to the bottom of this.
Spiced with gentle mystery and peopled with earthy and endearing villagers, The Tale of Hill Top Farm introduces Miss Beatrix Potter at a time of crisis, just after the death of her fiancé, Norman Warne. With help from her little family of animal friends, Beatrix sets out to win the human hearts of the village she plans to make her home.
