Showing results by author "Thornton W. Burgess" in All Categories

One of the most beloved characters in children's literature, Peter Cottontail is up to his long-whiskered nose in rib-tickling escapades in this delightful classic. With gentle charm and humor, famed storyteller Thornton W. Burgess draws young listeners into the timeless world of the Green Forest, the Smiling Pool, and the Purple Mountains.

Peter Rabbit has a great deal of curiosity and loves to hear stories. In this collection of 16 short stories, Peter Rabbit learns more about many of his neighbors in the Green Forest and the Green Meadows. Sometimes Grandfather Frog tells him a story but there are other neighbors who also share their "knowledge" with him. For example, Peter wants to know why Mr. Bluebird has a beautiful coat when he can be such a bratty bird. Peter would also like to know why Mr. Hare gets a white coat in the winter and a brown one in the summer.

The Adventures of Buster Bear follows a bear who has moved from the Great Woods to the Green Forest. Unknown to the little people of the Green Forest, Buster Bear, although is big and has a grumbly rumbly voice is actually very shy. As with most Burgess books, there is a positive morale to the story.

Peter Rabbit would like to know more about the four-footed friends who share the Green Meadows and Green Forest with him. Old Mother Nature is only too happy to help and holds a "school" for Peter. Along the way, many others of the Green Meadow and Green Forest creatures join Peter at school as he learns about his neighbors. As with all Thornton W. Burgess stories, young listeners gain positive values while learning a great deal about the animals that share their world.

Lightfoot the Deer is a story about animals in the Green Forest that are hunted in the fall. The story is mostly about Lightfoot, a male deer hunted by one hunter and describes how he tries to escape being shot. The story tells Lightfoot's encounter with another buck and a battle for territory and the lovely, Miss Daintyfoot. As with most Thornton Burgess books, young listeners learn valuable lessons about nature, wildlife, and positive morals.

Jimmy Skunk is slow and avoided by his neighbors because of the perfume that Mother Nature has given him for protection. But his perfume doesn't keep Peter Rabbit from playing a trick on both Jimmy and Reddy Fox. When Jimmy thinks Reddy has pulled the joke, Reddy gets a dose of Jimmy's perfume as punishment. Most folks think Reddy Fox deserves what he gets because he is always trying to catch and eat Jimmy's friends.

Thornton Waldo Burgess (1874-1965) was a conservationist and author of children's stories. Burgess loved nature and its wild animals so much that he wrote about them for 50 years in books and his newspaper column. The delightful Adventures of Sammy Jay combines humorous animal escapades with gentle lessons about wildlife and nature, while The Burgess Bird Book for Children (1919) is a classic nature book which introduces young listeners to the subject of bird life by means of a series of interviews within a story....

Reddy and Granny Fox must outsmart Farmer Brown's Boy who is out to get Reddy for stealing his pet chicken. Along the way, Reddy encounters many of the citizens of the Green Meadows and the Green Forest and with him we learn little lessons about life such as: the perils of being a show off; the importance of using all of one's senses; that it is a fine thing to show sympathy and kindness to others - even our enemies; and that the value of a grandmother's wisdom is inestimable.

Thornton Burgess wrote the Burgess Flower Book for children to instill a love of flowers in young children. Burgess uses one of his favorite characters, Peter Rabbit, to search for flowers. The story begins in early spring as Peter discovers the first blooms. Peter's search for flowers continues all summer and into the fall. Along the way, Burgess characters, including the Merry Little Breezes, Grandfather Frog, and others, help Peter find new flowers as they bloom. The description of the flowers is very detailed.

Jerry Muskrat lives in the Smiling Pool along with many of his friends, including Grandfather Frog, Spotty the Turtle, and others. One day Jerry discovers there is something wrong with the Smiling Pool and the Laughing Brook that feeds it. Both are slowly disappearing. Jerry and his friends set out on a mission to determine what is wrong with the Smiling Pool and the Laughing Brook.

In The Adventures of Old Man Coyote, Peter Rabbit hears a new sound that frightens him and the other animals of the Green Forest. The sound is that of a new predator in the Green Forest, Old Man Coyote. Granny and Reddy Fox don’t want competition in the Green Forest and try to trick him into leaving the forest. But Old Man Coyote proves himself to be very clever and fair.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children (1919) is a classic nature book by Thornton Burgess, who introduces young listeners to the subject of bird life by means of a series of interviews within a story. Peter Rabbit and Jenny Wren interview Slaty the Junco, Redwing the Blackbird, Melody the Wood Thrush, Spooky the Screech Owl, and many other common birds to learn about their appearance, their eating, mating and nesting habits, and their songs and calls. The text remains popular as an exceptional combination of information and entertainment.

Blacky the Crow is a mischief maker. He has very sharp eyes and sees things he shouldn't. They often get him into trouble. Blacky loves eggs. One day he discovers that Hooty the Owl and Mrs. Hooty have laid eggs in a nest when there is still snow on the ground. Blacky devises a plan with his fellow crows to steal them. Later, we find out that Blacky has a good side too. As with all Thornton W. Burgess books, there are positive messages for young listeners.

When Jenny Wren learns that Peter Rabbit would like to know more about the four-footed friends who live in the Green Meadows and Green Forest, she recommends Old Mother Nature who is happy to teach him. She tells Peter about a range of creatures such as Arctic Hare and Antelope Jack, Flying Squirrel, Mountain Beaver, Pocket Gopher, Grasshopper Mouse, Silvery Bat, Mule Deer and Grizzly Bear. This absorbing book teaches children about the many forms of wildlife and the animals' relationships with one another.

A beloved storyteller takes young readers - and listeners - to the Green Forest to recount the adventures of Peter Cottontail, Mrs. Quack, Jimmy Skunk, Danny Meadow Mouse, and other woodland friends. Author and conservationist Thornton Burgess (1874-1965) wrote thousands of stories reflecting his fascination with wildlife and concern for nature, teaching generations of children gentle lessons about ecology and respect for the environment.

Little Joe Otter is playful and full of surprises. Peter Rabbit is curious. Peter is curious why he has not seen Little Joe Otter in the Smiling Pool? Wait! Did Peter just see two Little Joe Otters in the Smiling Pool? While Peter is trying to determine if there is indeed more than one Little Joe Otter, he learns some other lessons from the times "when the world was young" from Grandfather Frog and others.

While growing up, the author explored the fields and forests and salt marshes of Cape Cod, where he became very familiar with the birds, animals, and plant life. Later, as a grown-up, he told stories to his young son about the animals and wildlife that he held so dear, resulting, amongst other works, in the wonderfully warm and acutely observed work "Mother West Wind's Children", where the animals of the Green Meadows and Green Forest are having all kinds of small adventures.

In The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse, Danny begins his tale regretting the length of his tail until he is corrected by Mr. Toad. Then he has a series of stalkings by Reddy Fox and Granny Fox. He is captured by Hooty the Owl but escapes midflight to fall into Peter Rabbit's briar patch. Peter goes to Farmer Brown's peach orchard, gets caught in a snare, and barely escapes. Finally, Danny gets trapped in a tin can and must use his wits to escape Reddy Fox again.

Welcome to the world of Thornton W. Burgess, where Peter Rabbit, Jimmy Skunk, Johnny Woodchuck, Reddy Fox, Joe Otter, Grandfather Frog, and Happy Jack Squirrel play with Old Mother West Wind and her Merry Little Breezes among the Green Meadows and by the Laughing Brook. In his first book, Old Mother West Wind, Burgess introduces readers to these beloved characters and many more, who go on to inhabit his later writings. Burgess’s stories were based largely on his own adventures in nature, and went on to be translated into many different languages and published around the world.

Sammy Jay is told by the little people of the Green Forest that he is keeping them awake at night with his calling out "Thief, Thief". But Sammy isn’t calling out at night, he’s been sleeping. At least, he thinks he has. Sticky-Toes the tree toad is hearing his own voice when his mouth is shut, and he is angry and puzzled. And Unc’ Billy Possum thinks he may just have seen a friend from Ol’ Virginny who might possibly solve the mystery.