A Highland Adventure: A Review of The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit

Imagine a picnic basket, packed for a day out and left unattended in Mr. McGregor's garden. For a rabbit as "naughty" as Peter, it is a temptation far too great to resist. This small, impulsive choice is the spark for a journey that takes our favorite rogue far beyond the garden gate, all the way to the rugged landscapes of the Scottish Highlands.

Written by Emma Thompson in 2012 to mark the 110th anniversary of Peter's trade debut, this was the first time in over eighty years that a new story was officially added to the sequence. It wasn't a choice made lightly. Emma Thompson, who grew up listening to her father read these tales, felt the weight of following a "genius like Potter." But she found her way into the story by returning Peter to the land where Beatrix himself first sketched the wildlife of his youth: Scotland.

A Giant in the Heather

The story begins with a familiar itch for adventure. Peter falls asleep in that picnic basket and wakes up in a place of tartans, turnips, and purple hills. It is here that he meets his distant cousin, Finlay McBurney, a "gentle giant" of a rabbit who wears a kilt and carries a small dagger in his boot.

While the original 1902 tale was a high-stakes struggle for survival, Emma Thompson's continuation feels more like a spirited, madcap adventure. Peter remains the lovable rogue we know, but here he is exploring his own heritage. The climax of the story brings us to a "rabbit version" of the Highland Games, featuring a radish so large that Peter can actually eat a burrow inside it. It is a lighter, more celebratory look at Peter's world, where misadventures lead to laughter rather than the threat of a pie.

The Return to the North

There is a wide, open-air feeling to this new chapter. It captures the spirit of those high hills where Beatrix first learned to see the world like a scientist during those fifteen summers spent at Dalguise in Perthshire. It's a story that brings a sense of discovery into the room, leading us toward the idea that even when we wander far from home, we might just find a family we didn't know we had.

The Living Voice

Emma Thompson speaks on the weight of following a genius like Beatrix Potter and her own journey back to Peter's Scottish roots.

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📂 The Archivist's Drawer

Hidden details for the collector and the historian.

• The Centennial Commission: This book was the first time Frederick Warne & Co. officially sanctioned a new entry in the series since the 1930s, making it a "centennial" event in children's literature.
• The Family Legacy: Emma Thompson's father, Eric Thompson, was the creative mind behind the English version of The Magic Roundabout. This deep connection to storytelling voice is felt throughout the prose.
• The Scotland Link: Beatrix Potter's very first letter about Peter Rabbit (written in 1893) was actually sent from Eastwood, Dunkeld, in Scotland—the same landscape where this story is set.
• The Gaelic Translation: To honor the setting, the book was simultaneously released as Sgeulachd Eile Mu Pheadar Rabaid, making it a vital tool for language revitalization in Scottish schools.
• The babyGap Collection: The 2012 release was so successful it sparked a global "heritage" fashion collaboration with babyGap, centering on the illustrations of Peter's kilted cousin.

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Finding the Edition

• The Best Reading Copy: Seek out the 2012 trade edition. It often comes with a CD narrated by Emma Thompson herself, whose "top-notch" storytelling brings the dry humor of the prose to life.
• The Gaelic Translation: For the collector of rarities, seek out the 2012 Sgeulachd Eile Mu Pheadar Rabaid, a vital tool for language revitalization in Scottish schools.
• The Visual Style: Illustrator Eleanor Taylor chose a "rounder" and softer aesthetic for Peter, designed to appeal to the modern "kid-pleasing" market while keeping the classic "nature-first" landscapes.

Let the heavy lift of the giant radish and the smell of the heather bring a sense of adventure to your library tonight.