Beatrix Potter loved the countryside and spent much of her childhood drawing and studying animals. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, published in 1902, was her first book, expanded from an illustrated letter she had sent to a young friend. Beatrix Potter went on to publish more than 20 tales and collections of rhymes. Potter's other popular books include The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, The Tale of Two Bad Mice, and Tale of Benjamin Bunny.