 In 1900 , Potter revised a tale about a rabbit named Peter she had written for a child in 1893 , and prepared a dummy book of it in imitation of Helen Bannerman 's 1889 best @-@ seller The Story of Little Black Sambo . Unable to find a buyer , she published the book for family and friends at her own expense in December 1901 . Frederick Warne & Co. had earlier rejected the tale , but , anxious to compete in the booming small format children 's book market , reconsidered and accepted it following the recommendation of their prominent children 's book artist L. Leslie Brooke . Potter agreed to colour the pen and ink illustrations of the private edition , and chose the then @-@ new Hentschel three @-@ colour process for reproducing her watercolours . On October 2 , 1902 The Tale of Peter Rabbit was released . 
