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The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk

(The Bedtime Story Books)

Thornton W. Burgess

4.15 · Rating details · 382 ratings · 34 reviews

Introduce a new generation to Thornton Burgess'Jimmy Skunk, the good-natured character who is usually left alone because of his potent "perfume."

Like all of Thornton Burgess' characters, Jimmy Skunk's natural instincts are completely accurate, but his personality is easily relatable!

Jimmy Skunk thinks that the old barrel at the top of the hill will be a perfect place for a ...more

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Paperback, 128 pages

Published March 1st 2017 by Seagrass Press (first published 1918)

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May 18, 2019 Jon E rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Jimmy Skunk threw some perfume in Reddy Fox's eyes. And Reddy Fox was wiping it because some even got in his eyes. And the words said "poor Reddy". Done. ...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Jonathan Marshall rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kid-friendly

The Burgess Books

This is a phrase that brings a smile to my face as often as I hear it. As a young child, I would lose myself for hours in the simple world of the wood and pond inhabited by Little Joe Otter, Buster Bear, Grandfather Frog, and terrorized by Farmer Brown's Boy. I can remember the very shelf, even the exact spot in the little library in Felton, CA where these books were kept. I would return practically every week with a new armload to last me until our next trip to the library. Of The Burgess Books

This is a phrase that brings a smile to my face as often as I hear it. As a young child, I would lose myself for hours in the simple world of the wood and pond inhabited by Little Joe Otter, Buster Bear, Grandfather Frog, and terrorized by Farmer Brown's Boy. I can remember the very shelf, even the exact spot in the little library in Felton, CA where these books were kept. I would return practically every week with a new armload to last me until our next trip to the library. Often I would carry out stories that I read several times before, just so I could once again escape into this imaginary world of furry mischief.

I remember these books well in concept, though the specifics of most of the stories elude me. It was easily fifteen years ago when I began reading them and has been over a decade since I last picked up one of Burguess' stories to read it. That being said, this review is being written as a look back.

These stories are very simple and very fun. Of course, they are children's literature, so that's to be expected, but these stories strike me as especially so. Even still, I can remember some fascinating things I gleaned between the their covers.

For one thing, Burgess did a fantastic job of presenting the ideas of persepective and motivation in simplistic terms. For example, "The Adventures of Danny Field Mouse" would cast Old Man Coyote as a vicious, mean creature wishing to prey on Danny and his friends and family. Yet, pick up instead "The Adventures of Old Man Coyote" and you'll see that when the story is told with him as the protagonist, those pesky field mice are annoying and useful for little more than a snack. After reading both books, you're no more inclined to think of Old Man Coyote as a villian than you are to think of Danny Field Mouse as a pest that should be exterminated. (Note: This is a generic example. I do not recall if Old Man Coyote plays a role in Danny Field Mouse's story or the other way around, but this concept was presented several times. It made an impression on me.)

The only characters consistantly presented as antagonists were Farmer Brown and his boy. This would be one of the only things that I chalk up as odd, or maybe just a little "off" in these books. Humans and their influence on nature are presented as a negative influence on nature and animals - always. It's interesting to note though that while humans are seen as a negative, humanity is lauded and held up as virtuous. All of the animals take on not only human personalities but characteristics, traits, and mannerisms. From a frog with a monocle and an otter with a handkerchief tied to a stick, to a busy-body Jay and a reclusive owl who desires only to be left alone, humanity and it's traits keep cropping up.

Which would be another thing of value I feel that I saw in the Burgess books. These stories are full of social interaction and personality conflicts, even if they are charicatured more often than not. We see over and over again a working out of peace, if not harmony, between conflicting personalities. It may not always be easy to point out a scripture to reinforce the lesson implied, but social harmony is presented and more often than not, resolution is through reconciliation, forgiveness, or a similar method that is not only laudable, but distinctly Christian in action if not motivation.

All in all, the world created by Thornton W. Burgess is imaginative, innocent, fun, and educational. My reccomendation? Grab a handful from your local library, gather a group of kids as an excuse, and lose yourselves in childhood imaginations as you read aloud the stories that have captivated several generations of young readers with the antics of our furry, albiet elusively human, friends.

(Disclaimers: As I said, it has been over a decade since I actually read one of Burgess' books. As such, there may be a specific example that's a little off in this review or something that I would have noticed as an adult that my childhood memories are missing. Also, all of these books say I read them in 1998. While I'm certain I read several of them that year, I'm sure I read some before and after that date as well.) ...more

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Jul 21, 2020 Jenn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Read this aloud to the kids but I think I enjoy these as much as they do (maybe more) :). I like these books because it presents habits of these animals in an easy to suggest manner without having to memorize facts.

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Feb 22, 2018 Tena Mae Holmgren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Great read

Great read with my 4 year old son. My son is now obsessed with skunks. And keeps reminding me that they eat beetles and eggs

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Dec 31, 2020 Grace Lynch rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed these fun short stories and would definitely recommend this book for kids!

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Mar 28, 2014 Karin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-books-preschool-gr-3, north-bay-library, novel, fiction

my 7 yr old gave this a 5. I agree. I liked the way morals were told in an entertaining way. I bet my daughter didn't feel she was being moralized at because she wanted to hear the whole book. I've tried others that had a distinct 'moral' or 'value' and she hates it.(Books that go ... is thankful or ... learns to be honest. blah.

Burgess books are interesting entertaining and a good read. Hopefully the little lessons learned by the animals were also learned and put away in the back of my daughter ...more

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Aug 16, 2020 Katja rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1800s-hisfic, natural-history, childrens-books, american-fiction, secular, classics, historical-fiction, series, standalone, adventure

4 stars & 4/10 hearts. This is a particularly humorous Burgess book. Jimmy Skunk, Unc’ Billy Possum, & Peter Rabbit bring humour to almost every page. Definitely one of my favourite Burgess books.

A Favourite Quote: “‘I really don't want to go back there tonight,’ he muttered, ‘but I guess I'll have to. I said I would, and so I'll have to do it. I believe in keeping my word. If I shouldn't and some day he should find it out, he wouldn't believe me the next time I happened to say I would do a thi ...more

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Apr 11, 2018 Rachel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, children-s-books

We are continuing to love these books. I think the appeal lies in a few things for the kids. They are funny, the illustrations are well-done, and the author does a great job of drawing us into the story and creating believable adventures for the animals that live in the Green Meadow, the Green Wood, and Smiling Pool.
I love the language, and how the stories tell moral lessons without getting preachy. It is woven into the story and, I think, situations that my kids can relate to. Highly recommend ...more

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Jul 05, 2018 Helen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Loved reading allowed this book to my sons who are 3 and 5. Perfect for littles who love animals and parents who want good, quality literature to read to said littles! We are looking forward to reading lots more of these books!

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May 12, 2019 Twyla rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: auryn-s-books, auryn-read-in-2019

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 11, 2019 Jenny rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-aloud-k, classics, juvenile, animal-fiction

"I like it. My favorite part is when the skunk sprayed Reddy Fox. That part was the funniest."

~K, age 4 ...more

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Mar 09, 2019 Kenneth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is one of several Thornton W. Burgess books that I remember my dad reading to me and my sister when we were little. Loved them. Later read it on my own.

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Apr 16, 2019 Shirley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: need-to-buy

This one is a really good one to read as a stand alone if you are only going to read one Burgess book. More action than normal and fun situations. We loved it. Need to buy a copy of this one.

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Jul 17, 2020 Melanie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Love the humor!

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Nov 24, 2020 Elle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-to-kya

Reading this to my daughter at bed time! Great life lessons and funny situations! Loved it!!

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Jan 13, 2021 Paige Floyd rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Love all the Thornton Animal books so much!

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Dec 26, 2011 John Kenworthy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: children everywhere

Recommended to John by: my father

Thornton Burgess books are guilty pleasures to be sure. I was a somewhat sickly child growing up - missing over a third of my first grade year due to bad ear infections. Like so many bedridden kids before me, I learned a love for reading and writing during those convalescent days. And much of my appreciation therein can be attributed directly to the works of Thornton Burgess. I remember with great fondness my father bringing me an armful of Burgess books from the corner library. They might have Thornton Burgess books are guilty pleasures to be sure. I was a somewhat sickly child growing up - missing over a third of my first grade year due to bad ear infections. Like so many bedridden kids before me, I learned a love for reading and writing during those convalescent days. And much of my appreciation therein can be attributed directly to the works of Thornton Burgess. I remember with great fondness my father bringing me an armful of Burgess books from the corner library. They might have been ones I read before - but I didn't care a whit - they were great friends to me.

I know that Rose Kennedy was famously dismissive of future President John Kennedy's love for the Burgess books as a child and referred to them in the most condescending of terms. These are not works of great erudition to be sure. But neither do they aspire to be. They are simple homespun tales showing the anthropomorphosed interactions of the natural world. Old Man Coyote does indeed try to eat Peter Rabbit, Sammy Jay does indeed squawk and steal glittery objects. But yes, they do wear clothes and speak. It is perhaps inevitable that we try to put the animal world in a human context - why even the beloved Jane Goodall does that with her studies of the Chimpanzee in Gombe, Tanzania. Harrison Cady's drawings in the original reinforcing this humanizing by placing the animals in country-style overalls that give the characters a sort of folksy-ness that Burgess aspired to.

"The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk" is one of my most favorite of the Green Forest series of books by Burgess. Ostensibly it is two simple stories tied together in one fast paced book. The first story concerns the misfortunes of Reddy Fox who is blamed for waking a blissfully sleeping Jimmy Skunk (though Peter Rabbit is responsible) and the second concern Unc' Billy Possum and Jimmy trying to get an easy meal of eggs in Farmer Brown's henhouse.

Like many of the series, "The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk" is a cautionary tale. The morality of the stories is reinforced through the consequences of actions and some not so subtle, though quaintly apropos epigraphs:

"Tis little things that often seem
Scarce woth a passing thought.
Which in the end may prove that they
With big results are fraught."

But it is the fun of the language that made me return to the stories again and again. Even now I get giddy at the prospect of new releases from Dover Thrift Editions to complete my collection. For one thing - how many kids books use the word 'fraught'? How lovely! Just great simple storylines written with an elegance and flow that draws one in effectively. Beautiful, beautiful books. ...more

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Aug 04, 2015 Shawn Thrasher rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Do kids still read Thornton W. Burgess? I still have my beloved childhood set, with a place of honor on a bookshelf at home. My father used to occasionally read a chapter or two aloud at night. I think I developed a love and appreciation of nature and animals from Burgess. Jimmy Skunk is a standard Burgess. A teensy bit preachy, but also cute and funny too. What's interesting about Burgess is that no one is purely good or bad - all the animals have shades of dark and light. In this book, Peter R ...more

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Jan 29, 2017 Jimyanni rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

The Thornton Burgess series in general is quite an endearing series of children's books, which do a fine job of being readable by young readers and having interesting plots and introducing young people to a variety of animals in a semi-anthropomorphized way. This particular entry, "The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk" is excellent, and it's a delightful read for a youngster, or for an older person who is willing to be a child again for the hour or so that it would take to read it. Strictly from a lite ...more

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Jun 23, 2014 Melissa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile, audiobooks

This one focused much more on Peter Rabbit for the first plot, and more on Ol' Billy Possum for the second plot than it did on Jimmy Skunk. I would have liked to learn more about skunks, but maybe there just isn't much to learn: everyone knows they're mainly nocturnal, and they spray a horrible smell when threatened. But the charm of the characters was still there, and the good lessons for children (don't play practical jokes, karma, and don't lose your temper) were present as well. ...more

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Sep 26, 2015 Shannon Smith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really have no idea why, but Thornton Burgess books are just adored in my household. My 4 year old (who is easily distracted during read-alouds) is riveted by this author. We chose Jimmy Skunk after finishing up Blacky the Crow because it was $1.00 on Amazon (shipped Prime) and all the rest were $2-$3. The chapters are short and you learn a lot about the habits of the actual animals in the process of reading the narrative.

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Jul 31, 2008 Ann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children

We read an absolute boat-load of Thornton Burgess's stories when our two children were little ... they absolutely loved these adventures. One of their favorites was this one about Jimmy Skunk. Thornton Burgess's tales are so sweetly written with enough misadventure to satisfy young appetites !! ...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Amanda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Was overjoyed to find the books of Burgess at Librivox.com. My favourite book as a child was The Adventures of Little Joe Otter, so it this was purely a nostalgic read/listen. This book was fun and full of hokey morals and great characters and silly situations. Great stuff.

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Apr 25, 2016 Jessica Bartolomeo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Awesome book I loved it It was the best book I ever read!!!!!!!!!

Loved it..........just the best book ever, Jimmy skunk obviously was my favourite character,and I have a suggestion you should make a book called the adventures of Peter rabbit.

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Dec 30, 2007 Heidi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A great book to read aloud to kids! I like all the books in this series, but, this is my favourite.

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Jul 29, 2009 Cws added it · review of another edition

Shelves: br

BR3-Bur

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Feb 27, 2010 Lorelei rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, childrens

A charming story or collection of stories - not really sure what to call it. My youngest (9yo at the time) absolutely loved it.

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Jun 16, 2011 Anna rated it liked it · review of another edition

Love how the author puts in character lessons throughout the story of the animals. And how Farmer Brown's boy doesn't have a name, but he knows the animal's names. Hah! ...more

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Oct 14, 2013 Denise Kuntz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, free, my-5-star-audiobooks, librivox, classics

Awesome childrens story,narrator does well!

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Nov 26, 2013 Nana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: homeschool-past

Great series by Burgess

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About Thornton W. Burgess

Thornton W. Burgess

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Thornton W. (Waldo) Burgess (1874-1965), American author, naturalist and conservationist, wrote popular children's stories including the Old Mother West Wind (1910) series. He would go on to write more than 100 books and thousands of short-stories during his lifetime.

Thornton Burgess loved the beauty of nature and its living creatures so much that he wrote about them for 50 years in books and his

Thornton Burgess loved the beauty of nature and its living creatures so much that he wrote about them for 50 years in books and his newspaper column, "Bedtime Stories". He was sometimes known as the Bedtime Story-Man. By the time he retired, he had written more than 170 books and 15,000 stories for the daily newspaper column.

Born in Sandwich, Massachusetts, Burgess was the son of Caroline F. Haywood and Thornton W. Burgess Sr., a direct descendant of Thomas Burgess, one of the first Sandwich settlers in 1637. Thornton W. Burgess, Sr., died the same year his son was born, and the young Thornton Burgess was brought up by his mother in Sandwich. They both lived in humble circumstances with relatives or paying rent. As a youth, he worked year round in order to earn money. Some of his jobs included tending cows, picking trailing arbutus or berries, shipping water lilies from local ponds, selling candy and trapping muskrats. William C. Chipman, one of his employers, lived on Discovery Hill Road, a wildlife habitat of woodland and wetland. This habitat became the setting of many stories in which Burgess refers to Smiling Pool and the Old Briar Patch.

Graduating from Sandwich High School in 1891, Burgess briefly attended a business college in Boston from 1892 to 1893, living in Somerville, Massachusetts, at that time. But he disliked studying business and wanted to write. He moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he took a job as an editorial assistant at the Phelps Publishing Company. His first stories were written under the pen name W. B. Thornton.

Burgess married Nina Osborne in 1905, but she died only a year later, leaving him to raise their son alone. It is said that he began writing bedtime stories to entertain his young son, Thornton III. Burgess remarried in 1911; his wife Fannie had two children by a previous marriage. The couple later bought a home in Hampden, Massachusetts, in 1925 that became Burgess' permanent residence in 1957. His second wife died in August 1950. Burgess returned frequently to Sandwich, which he always claimed as his birthplace and spiritual home.

In 1960, Burgess published his last book, "Now I Remember, Autobiography of an Amateur Naturalist," depicting memories of his early life in Sandwich, as well as his career highlights. That same year, Burgess, at the age of 86, had published his 15,000th story. He died on June 5, 1965, at the age of 91.

...more