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

Farmer Brown's boy, Little Joe Otter, and the residents of the Green Forest have to adjust when a new animal, Buster Bear, comes to live there. Is he a fearsome beast or a friendly neighbor? An enemy or a local hero? In this collection of stories, everyone struggles to understand the ways of this unexpected newcomer, as he comes to find his place among them.

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.

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.

Welcome to the ageless world of the Green Forest, the Smiling Pool, and the Purple Mountains! There, you’ll meet a rabbit named Peter, who one day became so unhappy about his plain-sounding name he decided to change it to Peter Cottontail because he felt it made him sound more important.

When Mr. and Mrs. Bob White come down from the Old Pasture to live beside Peter Rabbit in the Briar Patch, they attract the unwanted attention of some of the predators, like Old Reddy Fox. Through care and cunning, the Bob Whites raise their family of fifteen baby quail and prove to be very welcome neighbors indeed to Farmer Brown and his son.

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.

The Adventures of Bobby Coon follows a raccoon whose dead hollow tree is cut down by Farmer Brown and his son. Both are unaware that Bobby is sleeping in it. When Bobby Coon is injured, Farmer Brown’s boy nurses him back to health. Once healthy, he is released back into nature and goes in search of a new home, which is not as easy as he thought it would be.

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.

In the early days of Boy Scouts of America, the focus was on building men from the boys. The boys learned honor, discipline, brotherhood, and the many facets of Woodcraft: the skills needed to survive and thrive in the wild. Walter Upton comes to this remote camp eager to put his "book learning" to use. He learns that, though the information in the books has some value, real learning comes from experience in the wilderness and from striving alongside his fellow Scouts.

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.

When Paddy the Beaver moves into the Green Forest and wants to build his home, he never quite expected it would cause so much commotion! Being a focal point of attention, the forest animals watch him carefully and scrutinized his work, make fun of and question his building project, someone screams at him saying unkind things, and one forest animal sets his sights on hunting him to have him for lunch! That's an awful lot for a little beaver to overcome - do you think he can do it?

“Listen,” whispered Jimmy Skunk to Peter Rabbit as the strange howling sound echoed through the Green Forest. But Peter was listening. He had never heard anything like it. The sound made cold chills run up and down his backbone. What could it be?

Something is definitely wrong with Peter Rabbit...he has no appetite! Deciding he is terribly lonely, Peter sets off to visit some friends in the Old Pasture but instead finds himself narrowly escaping the clutches of Hooty Owl, experiencing a nasty encounter with Jed Thumper (a big gray rabbit), and eventually staring right into the soft, gentle eyes of Miss Fuzzytail. Before you know it, Peter has a new bride!

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.

Old Mister Toad is in a hurry! But why? Nobody knows, so all the animals set off looking for him and find him singing in the pond. Peter Rabbit never knew Old Mr. Toad could sing! Quickly, all the animals learn why they should heed his song, and in time, Peter Rabbit learns many, many things that he didn't know about Old Mr. Toad and his children. But Mr. Toad has things of his own to learn, too, and dangers to watch out for!

As the days grow colder, little Whitefoot the Wood Mouse decides it is time to find a warm, safe place to spend the winter. The happy little creature finds the perfect spot in Farmer Brown's barn, where he meets a friendly stranger, tumbles into a life-threatening situation, and learns the meaning of the word "trust."

When the adventurous Walter Upton and Hal Harrison set out with the young, but expert guide Louis Woodhull on a canoe trip through the wilderness, they were disappointed to take on an excitable Tenderfoot with them as their fourth. The boys had no idea what sorts of surprises awaited them from Nature, History, and even themselves.

Old Man Coyote deliberately leads Bowser the Hound far away from Farmer Brown's farm because he is tired of being chased. Bowser gets lost and injures himself during the pursuit. Help for Bowser comes from an unlikely source, which proves that there is some good in everyone. As with all Thornton W. Burgess stories, young listeners gain positive values while learning a great deal about the animals that share their world. 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.

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.

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.