Beatrix Potter’s tales about the frolics and misadventures of Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, Jemima Puddle-Duck and other animals have charmed children around the globe for well over a century.

Mrs. Rabbit pours out tea for Peter as his sisters look on in an illustration by Beatrix Potter. (Ellie Atkins/Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.) Review by Philip Kennicott NEW YORK — As a boy, I never ...