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New Beatrix Potter book is announced

Ready for the brand-new, 100-year-old tale by Peter Rabbit creator Beatrix Potter? It’s on its way.

Two years ago Jo Hanks, publisher at Penguin Random House Children’s in the U.K., came upon a reference to a mysterious Potter manuscript featuring “a well-behaved prime black Kitty cat, who leads rather a double life.” Hanks tracked down three handwritten manuscripts, a rough color sketch of our hero, Kitty-in-Boots, and a pencil sketch of Kitty’s nemesis, Mr. Tod.

The award-winning illustrator Quentin Blake has signed on to do the illustrations, and “The Tale of Kitty-In-Boots” will be published in the U.S. and the Britain in September, Penguin Random House announced today.

“The tale really is the best of Beatrix Potter. It has double identities, colorful villains and a number of favorite characters from other tales (including Mr. Tod, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Ribby and Tabitha Twitchit),” Hanks said in a press release. “And, most excitingly, our treasured, mischievous Peter Rabbit makes an appearance — albeit older, slower and portlier!”

Letters in the Victoria & Albert Museum Archives, home of many Potter items, show that Potter intended to finish the tale, but life intervened in the shape of the beginning World War I, marriage, sheep farming and colds, according to Penguin Random House.

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