ABSTRACT

As I neared completion of this project, I began to encounter texts which place copyright and ownership questions in a new context. My daughter arrived home with the news that she had seen a readalong tape and storybook of “The New Adventures of Peter Rabbit.” I bought it at once and began to struggle with the implications of its content and presentation. The very next day, in my local paper, the syndicated cartoon Peanuts showed Snoopy the dog in the role of a world famous attorney going to court for a very important case. “Yes, your honor,” says Snoopy, a dim-looking rabbit by his side, “we shall prove that my client never intended to go into the garden of Mr. McGregor” (Schultz, 1995, p. C6). A few days later, I encountered a “literary” picture book entitled Dear Peter Rabbit.