We’re all familiar with “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter. Peter Rabbit ventures into Mr. McGregor’s garden despite explicitly being told not to by his mother.

“Peter Rabbit Had It Coming.” That was the title I gave to a chapter about garden pest control in a book I wrote many years ago. In fact, even as a child I rooted for Peter’s adversary, Mr. McGregor.

For anyone who complained that the 2018 live action-animation hybrid “Peter Rabbit” betrayed Beatrix Potter’s whimsical vision, and seemed less concerned with the plunder of Mr. McGregor’s ...