Showing results by author "Thornton Burgess" in All Categories

"The Adventures of Paddy 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.

"You can't fool old Mother Nature. No, Sir, you can't fool old Mother Nature, and it's of no use to try." The animals of the Green Meadows and Green Forest have little adventures while Grandfather Frog tells stories to Mother West Wind's children, the Merry Little Breezes.

"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; 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.

Even in the peaceful, sun-splashed world of the Green Forest, the Laughing Brook, and the Smiling Pool, trouble sometimes makes an appearance and disturbs the lives of the animals living there. And so it is in this charming story about Jerry Muskrat and his friends Little Joe Otter, Spotty the Turtle, Grandfather Frog, and Billy Mink. First, Farmer Brown's boy has set nasty traps all around the Smiling Pool and that spells trouble for Jerry and the other creatures who live in and around the Pool. Wise old Grandfather Frog must think long and hard to come up with a solution for that problem.

Spring has arrived at the Green Meadow and Johnny Chuck is strangely discontent. On a whim, he offers Jimmy Skunk his house and then wanders off. Along the way, he gets into a fight with a strange woodchuck and, after a bruising battle, chases the intruder off. At that point, Johnny is feeling rather unconquerable — that is, until Polly Chuck uses her feminine charms to capture his heart. Before long, the two are happily keeping house in a burrow in the old orchard.

Bowser the Hound isn't very clever — certainly not as clever as Old Man Coyote, who's full of tricks! There's one thing, though, that Bowser's really good at, and that's pursuing someone who'll give him a long, hard run. Actually, he'll go without eating just for the pleasure of chasing Reddy and Granny Fox or Old Man Coyote. One day, Bowser gets more than he bargained for when Old Man Coyote decides to lead him on a long chase, just for fun, and make Bowser run and run.

Blacky the Crow is a clever rascal who lives in the Green Forest and Meadow. He loves to play tricks on the other little people who are his neighbours, and is curious about Farmer Brown’s Boy. Blacky is always thinking about what is right and what is wrong, but he still gets into all kinds of mischief.

There's a big mystery brewing among the animals of the Green Forest — and it's all because of a strange little creature with no head, legs, or tail that came rolling down a hill and gave Peter Cottontail the fright of his life. What could it be? Young readers and listeners will love finding out about this and other interesting goings-on in the Forest as they learn how Prickly Porky made friends, what made Old Granny Fox lose her dignity, why Old Man Coyote lost his appetite, and more.

"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? Children will love finding out as Peter Rabbit, Jimmy Skunk, Prickly Porky, Granny Fox, Reddy Fox, and other dwellers in the Green Forest react to a new — and scary — neighbor. All ends happily, of course, in this timeless fable by noted storyteller Thornton W. Burgess.

We are brought on a couple of adventures with Walter Upton and his Boy Scout friends, this time in Winter. In The Boy Scouts in a Trappers' Camp, the boys learn a whole new set of skills and have to show their greatest level of bravery yet. This is the fourth, and final book in the Boy Scouts' adventures, and does a wonderful job of showing the value that Scouting has brought to their lives in skills they will always have, wisdom upon which they can always build, and memories that they will always cherish.

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.

Walter Upton again sets out with a group of boys on a great adventure in the North Woods, this time on foot. They've heard of a trail that had been used in the days of the settlers, and are seeking to locate and map it all the way to Canada. Their journey will test the skills they have, as well as learn new ones as they develop from boys to men, and learn to handle situations they never considered.

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.

The Adventures of Peter Cottontail recounts the hijinks of one of the most endearing and beloved creatures in children's literature. Full of mischief (and then remorse), Peter has exploits that are delightfully recognizable to anyone who has children and will surely tickle yet another generation of young readers. Peter Cottontail's efforts to outwit the ever-hungry Reddy Fox lead to a number of whisker-thin escapes, and his fascination with the hibernation of some of his neighbors, such as Johnny Chuck, leads to his decision to hibernate . . . with riotous consequences.

The Adventures of Reddy Fox by Thornton W. Burgess follows the mischievous and cunning young fox, Reddy, as he learns important life lessons in the Green Forest. Raised by Granny Fox, he is clever but often reckless, leading him into trouble with Farmer Brown’s Boy, Bowser the Hound, and other woodland creatures. Through a series of adventures—escaping traps, outsmarting enemies, and learning humility—Reddy matures into a wiser fox. The story emphasizes themes of survival, kindness, and respecting nature, teaching children about the balance of the wild while entertaining them with Reddy...

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?

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.

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.

“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?

Peter Rabbit and Jimmy Skunk are two of the biggest pranksters in the Green Forest. But when Peter Rabbit plays a prank that goes awry, everyone gets a lesson in why Jimmy Skunk is better left alone! As Peter Rabbit, Reddy Fox and Unc' Billy Possum all learn, Jimmy Skunk can be a temperamental beast, and one can get into a good bit of trouble by crossing him.Children will delight in these warm, whimsical adventures that combine all the interest and excitement of a good story with gentle lessons about nature, wildlife and such virtues as courtesy, kindness, and preparedness.