Favorite Thornton W. Burgess Stories: 6 Books

by Thornton W. Burgess

A 6-pack of Burgess' best: The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel , The Adventures of Peter Cottontail , Lightfoot the Deer , The Adventures of Grandfather Frog , The Adventures of Old Man Coyote , and The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk .

Genres: Chapter Books, Childrens, 1st Grade

Paperback

First published April 1, 1993

About the author

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 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 in Hampden, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Andrea M · Rating 4 out of 5]

These short books are perfect for ages 6-8 with engaging animal characters and simple moral lessons. There are thirty tales in our public library which should keep my son busy for quite a while. I have to mention that finding "easy" quality literature for boys is a challenge and this author/naturalist has done a fabulous job.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of my favorites

[Amy Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are well-written children's books that I never minded reading to my girls-- and I actually thoroughly enjoyed.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read aloud for my six year old. Timeless principles of good character. Few pictures--which I liked.

Danny meadow mouse: hope
Grandfather frog: not being stubborn
Chatterer the red squirrel: hope and listening to the good small voice
Jimmy skunk: thinking about the result of your actions

[Jude Gravois]

The Adventures of Grandfather Frog:
The Adventures of Old Man Coyote:

[Ward Wilding · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandmother taught me to read with the books of Thornton Burgess. I loved the stories they told. My grand mother had me read them out loud to her.

[Megan Triplett · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have thoroughly enjoyed reading so many of Thornton Burgess' stories lately!

[Chanelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole little series is SO COOL!!!