Born to a wealthy family in Victorian London, Beatrix Potter never had many playmates. When she got lonely, she turned to the animals in her playroom: rabbits, mice, frogs, hedgehogs... even a snake! From an early age, she was a talented painter, and she published her art as a young woman. Her dream of becoming a children's book author, though, didn't come true until she was in her mid-thirties. After writing a letter about four little bunnies to a friend's son, Beatrix created "The Tale of Peter Rabbit." The story was turned down several times but was finally picked up by Frederick Warne & Co. Beatrix spent the rest of her life in the countryside, painting, drawing, farming, and protecting the land she loved so much.