Talk:The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes

The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes by Beatrix Potter
After just reading your article on the Beatrix Potter book, The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes, I must express that you have greatly overstated the negatives of her little book, and grossly understated the positively delightful little story that it is. I urge you first of all to read the tale and better yet, read it with a youngster, to feel the charm and love of Timmy and Goody, and the very different humor, charm and mischief of naughty Chippy Hackee and his long-suffering wife.

Please reference an outstanding book, A History of the Writings of Beatrix Potter by Leslie Linder 1971 for a much more accurate review of this tale with a kinder, gentler more reflective approach than many of your citings. As an aside by the way, read about Leslie Linder, he was a true expert on Beatrix Potter!

And, too, has there been great overreliance on a couple of your very harsh negative references; Linda Lear states it is the least satisfactory of Potter’s books which we totally disagree with–my grandkids rank it fairly high compared to a number of others.

Ruth McDonald considers the marital relationship between the chipmunks “abrasive and shocking” and on and on to much deeper and darker statements of marital relational problems. To which we say… oh please, lighten up for goodness sake, it’s a kid’s book with heroes and villains!!!!!! This nonsense doesn’t belong in a review about a little treasure of a kid’s book…check out The Tale of Jemima Puddleduck and countless other tales for dark, stark “abrasive and shocking” scenarios.

As to the illustrations, living in the southern United States and having gray squirrels and little brown striped chipmunks all over my yard everyday, she did a pretty good job of drawing American animals-both the squirrels and chipmunks!

Lastly, we quickly disagree with the statement in Taylor et al in their book, Beatrix Potter 1866-1943 The Artist and Her World that this is an “uneasy book”.....my grandchildren and I love it and particularly appreciate the wit and mischief of irritable Chippy. Most of my grands and I are particularly drawn to the villains and disgruntled mischief-making characters and you can always sense the twinkle in Beatrix Potter’s eye as she was writing it all!!!--68.169.142.51 (talk) 18:44, 5 April 2022 (UTC)