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

Peter Rabbit discovers a surprise visitor to the Smiling Pool. It's Mrs. Quack the Duck. She and Mr. Quack have been hunted as they attempt to migrate. Mr. Quack is missing and Mrs. Quack does not know his fate. Peter Rabbit, Jerry Muskrat, Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow decide to help Mrs. Quack by searching for Mr. Quack.

"The Adventures of Reddy Fox" is another in the series of children's stories by conservationist Thornton W. Burgess. In this 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.

Thornton Waldo Burgess was a conservationist and author of children's stories. He loved the beauty of nature and its living creatures so much that he wrote about them for 50 years. By the time he retired, he had written more than 170 books. Many of his outdoor observations in nature were used as plots for his stories. In his first book, "Old Mother West Wind", published in 1910, the reader meets many of the characters found in later books and stories.

"The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver" is another in the long list of children's books by the conservationist Thornton W. Burgess. In this book, the industrious and clever Paddy Beaver, a newcomer to the Green Forest, has encounters with Sammy Jay, Jerry Muskrat, Ol' Man Coyote and other inhabitants of the Green Forest. Along the way, we learn how Paddy builds his dam and his house, and how he stores his food. We also learn little lessons about life, such as the importance of planning before doing.

Happy Jack is a grey squirrel who lives in the Green Forest. Like most little creatures, he must fend for himself. Happy Jack has discovered a tree that chocked full of hickory nuts. He wants them to be all his own and believes the tree is his because he found the nuts. But his cousin Chatterer the Red Squirrel doesn't believe this. A loud quarrel ensures between the two along with a chase and suddenly the hickory nuts are gone! Where could they have gone?

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.

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.

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.

Sammy Jay is a blue jay who, like most blue jays, is mischievous. He delights in making trouble for other creatures of the Green Meadows and the Green Forest. Sammy really doesn't want to see them hurt, he just wants to make torment them. Enter Chatterer the Red Squirrel, who also lives in the Green Forest and can be as troublesome as Sammy Jay. In The Adventures of Sammy Jay, Chatterer and Sammy Jay match wits and show off their bad attitudes toward one another.

Paddy the Beaver is a newcomer to the Green Forest. The little people of the Green Meadows and the Green Forest are wary of strangers. They don't know what to expect of Paddy, especially when he starts building a dam and the water stops flowing to the Laughing Brook.

The Adventures of Johnny Chuck tells the story of a feisty woodchuck named Johnny. Johnny decides he is unhappy with his home in the Green Forest and elects to venture into the wide, wide world. As he wanders he gets into a territory fight with another chuck, discovers a new home, learns there is some good in all, and discovers the most wonderful thing in the world.

In The Adventures of Peter Cottontail, Peter Rabbit doesn't like his name and tries to find another that has more prestige. His friends think he is silly and devise a scheme to show Peter the problem with changing his name. Peter learns his mistake and changes his name back.

Old Granny Fox was a wise old fox who lived with her grandson Reddy. Reddy is young and impulsive and gets into a great deal of trouble because of this. So Granny must teach him the lessons of nature if he is to survive. The practical lessons about theft, gratitude and kindness that Granny teaches Reddy, as in all Thornton Burgess books, promote these virtues to young children listening to this book.

In The Adventures of Bob White, we follow the tale of Mr. and Mrs. Bob White and their 15 young Bobs as they live and work on Farmer Brown's farm. Young Farmer Brown's boy learns a valuable lesson about how nature's animals can help on the farm as he watches the young Bobs grow and work. Moreover, he learns an important lesson about love and compassion.

In The Adventures of 'Unc Billy Possum, 'Unc Billy is a new arrival in the Green Forest. He finds he is lonesome in his new home. His almost uncontrollable urge for fresh eggs gets him in trouble with Farmer Brown's boy, and he soon discovers that he has good friends in the Green Forest.

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.

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.

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.

Grandfather Frog has never left the Smiling Pool. He and Mr. Toad have an ongoing disagreement about whether or not Grandfather Frog should see the Great World or remain isolated in the Smiling Pool. Finally one day, Grandfather Frog decides he will see the Great World for himself. He learns that there are hardships in the Great World that he didn’t anticipate and he must constantly be on alert for dangers not in the Smiling Pool.