''The Fairy Caravan'' is a children's book written and illustrated by

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Potter (, 28 July 186622 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' The Tale of Peter Rabbit'', which was ...

and first published in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

by Alexander McKay in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. As noted by Leslie Linder, "Potter did not wish for an English edition of ''The Fairy Caravan'', because she felt the stories were 'too personal - too autobiographical' to publish in this country". In order to secure English copyright, however, Potter produced 100 copies with the first eighteen pages discarded and replaced by sheets privately printed in Ambleside by George Middleton.

Plot

The story follows the adventures of Tuppenny, a young

guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus '' Cavia'' in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word ''cavy'' to describe the ...

who runs away from home to join a travelling circus.

Background

The woods and estate surrounding

Graythwaite Hall Graythwaite Hall, near Hawkshead, Cumbria in the Lake District of England is the home of the Sandys family. One of the more famous members of the family was Edwin Sandys, who was Archbishop of York (1576–88) and was founder of Hawkshead Gra ...

in the Lake District,

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

, are the backdrop for Potter's story. They were a favourite walking spot for

Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's '' ...

Reception

The book is described by Margaret Drabble as: '' '...those later written ... for the US....' ''; and also: '' '...of little interest' ''.

References

External links

*
"Peter Says Please" by Barbara Bader, from the ''Horn Book'', 1999 – American connection with ''The Fairy Caravan''
1929 children's books British children's books Books by Beatrix Potter The Fairy Caravan Picture books by Beatrix Potter {{child-book-stub