The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck Reviews

• 
  Spencer Orey

  My kid's grandma bought us a 12 book set of the original Beatrix Potter books. I'll be reviewing them at random and out of order.
  
  This one... It's pretty classist? Scatterbrained Jemima is desperate to have ducklings but the farmers keep taking her eggs. She waddles into the forest and meets a creepy newspaper-reading fox who convinces her to lay all her eggs at his weird stick house. The house is described with what is now a major swear word, so watch out if you're reading this out loud to kids. It absolutely should have been edited out in this edition. Hopefully it was changed for the American version? There's no excuse.
  
  Anyway, it all adds up to a generically sexist variation on red riding hood, focused on the naivety of peasants, the existence of creepy dudes, and the hope of being rescued by noble-hearted men. I guess if you want to teach your kids to watch out for psychopaths, here you go.
  
  My issue is that as always with these books, it's filled with constant unnecessary nastiness. Some chicken is really mean to Jemima and calls her lazy and unable to sit long enough to properly hatch the eggs. When Jemima gets rescued, dogs eat all the eggs she's been desperately saving up. Then at the very end, it's implied that a bunch of Jemima's ducklings died because she did such a bad job of sitting.
• 
  Henk

  Poor duck being deceived. Gullibility and order, brought around by dogs, form an important part of the story
  
  Read during the V&A exhibition on Beatrix Potter in London 🐇 🇬🇧
  
  https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/bea...
• 
  Rob

  ""I wish to hatch my own eggs; I will hatch them all by myself," quacked Jemima Puddle-duck."
  
  and this ...
  
  "Come into the house as soon as you have looked at your eggs. Give me the herbs for the omelette. Be sharp!"
  
  He was rather abrupt. Jemima Puddle-duck had never heard him speak like that.
  
  She felt surprised, and uncomfortable.
• 
  Chantal

  What a lovely, intelligent classic story. I didn't know I would like these stories of Beatrix Potter so much. Throughout the story, it kept me engaged on to what would happen. Great read.
• 
  Manny

  There's a scene in the movie Heartburn where Jack Nicholson is reading this book to his very young daughter. He finishes it, and sits there stunned for a second. Then he shakes his head and whistles. "Whew! What a story!"
  
  I concur :)
  _______________________________________
  
  The plot of Jemima Puddleduck is remarkable similar to that of many trashy French crime novels. I consider this further in
  my review of Les Stripteaseuses du Petit Ecran.
• 
  Calista

  I'm not sure why I enjoyed this story so much and I did. Jemima, I think, reminds me of myself a tad bit. She takes up the archetype of the fool and walks blindly into her predators home. She even gathers herbs and ingredients to cook her with. Luckily the trusty dog is there to save the day. I love foxes and even though the fox is a scoundrel in this story I like the fox. This is a good one. You should read it.
• 
  Simone

  This is a great book. A mother duck trying to lay her eggs. In trying to find somewhere to nest she encounters a sly handsome fox. I was a little perturbed when drawing near to the ending and wondered whether I should have read this to my 3 year old granddaughter. I hope she doesn’t have nightmares! Love Beatrix Potter.
• 
  Morgan

  After owning ducks and having a duck like Jemima Puddle-Duck, I have way more appreciation for this story.
• 
  Caroline

  I read this as a child, but that was a gazillion years ago. Thanks to a friend sending me a link again today, I got the chance to enjoy it again, this time on-line. It was incredibly interesting too, in some instances Beatrix Potter's animal and bird-centric perspective makes one feel a bit uncomfortable. Nature (& mankind's) harsher realities are not avoided. What a rewarding read.
  
  PS ....and those illustrations.... ♥ ♥ ♥
  
  
  http://www.archive.org/stream/taleofj...
  
  
  
• 
  Maritina Mela

  *3.5
  
  For god's sake, leave the poor duck to hatch her own eggs!
  
  I don't know if I should rate this one since I am not the target audience, but hey, I have rated books with fairy tales before :)
  
  It's a good thing this one was very short and easy to read. Also, the illustrations are so adorable!
• 
  Lilli Immel

  Aus heutiger Perspektive zwar immer noch wundervolle Illustrationen von Beatrix Potter, aber eine doch sehr moralstarke Geschichte, die im Vergleich zu den heutigen fröhlichen Kinderbüchern fast schon melancholisch wirkt. Als Kind hätte mich die Geschichte wohl eher traurig als erheitert zurückgelassen. Die Einfältigkeit von Emma Ententropf ist außerdem so gravierend, dass sie eigentlich nur Mitleid erregt und keinen Raum für das "Schöne" an der Erzählung lässt.
• 
  Jesica Canto

  Esta historia la vi previamente en una adaptación a ballet para niños. Me parece interesante que el final no sea el típico de los cuentos de hadas al estilo Disney. Este cuento presenta una sucesión de diversas cuestiones para reflexionar que lo hace muy apropiado para adultos, no solo para niños.
  Como todos los cuentos de la autora que he leído resulta muy apropiado para niños, para fomentar su curiosidad por la historia y los diversos animales. Las ilustraciones, también como en los otros cuentos, son bonitas y estimulantes.
  
• 
  Skylar Burris

  Your average child in the early 1900's must have had considerably more advanced vocabulary expectations than your average child today. I'm always amazed by the complexity of these Potter stories compared to modern children's stories, although this one is slightly simpler than the others.
  
  This is one of my daughter's favorite Beatrix Potter stories. Of course. There is a sinister threat involved, and potential death, and destruction. That sort of thing always manages to hold her interest. Beware of foxes bearing hospitality. Not a bad lesson. I'm glad she likes the old school tales so much. There's something about them that really appeal and impact in a way a lot of modern storytelling doesn't--I think it's that they treat a child with respect for his or her intelligence and ability to process dark themes without being psychologically scarred.
• 
  Anna

  A great cautionary fable about not blindly putting your trust in just anyone, even if they seem really nice. As my favorite musical "Into the Woods" puts it: "Nice is different than good."
• 
  Ladiibbug

  #9 Peter Rabbit children's series
  
  Ooooh, this charmed me from the cover -- cutie pie Jemima Puddle-Duck with her baby blue bonnet and pink shawl. I spent an extra hour after reading, ooh'ing and ahhh-ing over the wonderful artwork. I could easily keep this on my bedside table and immerse myself in the art & story.
  
  Absolutely loved the innocent Jemima Puddle-Duck happily walking along with the nattily dressed fox.
  
  Somehow as a child I missed reading the Peter Rabbit books. In 2017, I plan to read the other 22 books in this precious series.
  
  Inside cover says Beatrix Potter's farm had a real Jemima duck who wasn't good at hatching eggs, and that Potter's favorite sheepdog, Kep, was used in the story as the duck's wise friend who rescues her from the deceptively charming sandy-whiskered gentleman (the fox).
• 
  ♡︎Bee♡︎

  Awwwn. This was so fun to read. I missed reading children's books and picked this one off the library shelf as I thought Jemima Puddle-duck looked really dashing and ladylike in her bonnet and all her 'duckery '. Might start rereading a lot of children's books now. Ah, the nostalgia.
• 
  Shirley Revill

  Loved by children both big and small. Nothing like a story by Beatrix Potter.
• 
  Lexi

  i love how kep the wise collie looks out for jemima 🥰
• 
  GoldGato

  Jemima Puddle-Duck, a duck before her time, wants to hatch her own eggs. While her sister-in-law is quite happy to bypass such a rigorous job, Jemima is adamant...her eggs, her hatching. She leaves the safety of the farm to find a special nesting spot, but this liberated ducky runs into a foxy gentleman who is not quite the good samaritan as she believes him to be.
  
  Allen Atkinson is the illustrator for this edition of the Potter classic. Such a wonderful talent who died so young, his Peter Rabbit series is worth the bookstore hunt as his characters always ring true (yes, white ducks should wear blue bonnets).
  
  Book Season = Spring (ducklings)
• 
  Sharon Barrow Wilfong

  Another cautionary tale about trusting the wrong person.
  
  Miss Jemima is tired of her eggs being taken from her after she lays them. She decides she's going to find a safe place to lay them where no one will find them.
  
  She meets a distinguished looking gentleman that looks an awful lot like a fox who is more than willing to help her and leads her to a place well out of the way.
  
  Fortunately for Jemima, she has a big mouth and informs the farm dog where she has been going. The dog and a couple of doggie friends ensure that Jemima gets to keep her eggs and her life. Strangely, the distinguished gentleman is not ever seen again.
• 
  Dichotomy Girl

  You know,I really feel sorry for this poor duck, who is a bit naive and seems to be taken advantage on every side by friend and foe. And the last line just seems like insult added to injury. I'm glad that I pre-read this, I might skip sharing it with the 3 year old.
• 
  Kristin

  This is a beautiful illustrated comic showing a different version of the much loved tale. I picked this up at my local library as part of a Beatrix Potter re imagined gallery.
  http://www.comicartfestival.com/beatr...
  
• 
  Sophie Crane

  The whole Peter Rabbit series is a must for any child's collection and this tale is great. The story is about poor Jemima. All she wants to do is lay her eggs in peace, and be allowed to hatch them herself. The story is a classic and my children adore it.
• 
  Kimberley doruyter

  i knew collies were very clever
• 
  monica ♪

  Very short, cute and entertaining read ❤
  A good choice to get out of my reading slump. LOL
• 
  K. Anna Kraft

  I have arranged my thoughts into a haiku:
  
  "Zealous and naïve,
  One might hope for nice things, but
  Not know if they're good."
• 
  Sara Jesus

  A educada e solitária pata
• 
  Greg

  Great classic story written and beautifully illustrated by Beatrix Potter.
• 
  Eve Littlejohn

  Having not read this book before I was quite surprised by the story, assuming it was going to be a happy tale about a mother duck and her babies. In reality, a naive duck leaves the safety of her home in order to find a place where she can hatch her eggs by herself. Along the way she meets a gentleman who is nice to her and appears to be trying to help her, which ends up with her putting her eggs at risk.
  I think that overall the book provides a good message for children. Firstly it shows the importance of not being able to instantly trust strangers, even if they appear to be kind to you. Secondly, it shows that it is ok to have help, and that you don’t always know what is best for you – had Jemima Puddle-Duck accepted help from the hen then there is a good chance that her eggs would have all hatched well. I think that this is an important concept for children to understand, as often they will see adults as being ‘bad guys’ for stopping them doing something they are enjoying, but are not always aware that this is for their own safety. Finally, this book shows that sad things do happen in life, and that not every ending is necessarily a happy one. Jemima Puddle-Duck was in tears when her eggs were eaten, which allows children to see that it is ok to cry or be upset in times of hurt. The ending of the book was both happy and sad, which shows that there is not always a happily ever after, and that there will be times when things are just ok and not perfect.
  I found the book to be quite wordy. There is a lot of text on each page, and the language is quite adult in some places, which could potentially lose the interest of the child. There are also some things that the author assumes that the reader would know, but it is unlikely that children of today would. For example, the fox asks Jemima Puddle-Duck to fetch some herbs and onions to make an omelette. Young children will not necessarily know that omelettes are made from eggs, nor that the herbs and onions mentioned are used for making roast duck.
  Although there is not a picture on every page, there is at least one picture on each double page spread. There is often a full page of text alongside an illustration. The pictures are always framed, suggesting that we are not meant to be part of the story, but rather watching it happen in front of us. The pictures are looking in line with the characters, which implies that we are going on the journey with Jemima Puddle-Duck. The pictures are the original watercolours by Beatrix Potter herself, and are consistently pastel coloured and smooth lines throughout the book, not changing for different situations or emotions. The pictures give an insight as to what is happening in the text, but are not able to show the story by themselves.