The Tale of Peter Rabbit is a British
children's book written and illustrated by
Beatrix Potter that follows mischievous and disobedient young
Peter Rabbit as he is chased about the garden of
Mr. McGregor. He escapes and returns home to his mother who puts him to bed after dosing him with
camomile tea. The tale was written for five-year-old Noel Moore, son of Potter's former governess Annie Carter Moore, in 1893. It was revised and
privately printed by Potter in 1901 after several publishers' rejections but was printed in a trade edition by
Frederick Warne & Co. in
1902. The book was a success, and multiple reprints were issued in the years immediately following its debut. It has been translated into 36 languages and with 45 million copies sold it is one of the
best-selling books of all time.