Thornton Burgess Author Study and Book List
A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Book List
Thornton Burgess the Author
If you’ve been around the Charlotte Mason scene for any length of time, you’ve probably heard the name Thornton Burgess. This wonderful storyteller was a naturalist and conservationist who wrote more than 170 books and 15,000 “Bedtime Stories.” Burgess was born in 1874 and died in 1965. Fifty years of his life on earth were spent sharing his love of nature through his writing.
His father passed away the same year Thornton was born. He and his widowed mother lived in Sandwich, Massachusetts where nature and wildlife were in abundance. Burgess spent much of his childhood working to earn money, doing jobs like tending cows, picking berries, and trapping muskrats. One of his employers in those early years lived on a wildlife habitat of woodland and wetland. This habitat is the setting for many of his stories.
After attending a business college in Boston for only one year, Burgess decided he wasn’t interested in business. His passion was writing. He made a home for himself and his family in Hampden, Massachusetts, but always considered Sandwich to be his spiritual home.
Thornton’s very first book, Old Mother West Wind, was published in 1910. In this book we meet many of his favorite characters, including Peter Rabbit, Grandfather Frog, Reddy Fox, and Jimmy Skunk. His works were published all around the world and in several languages.
Shortly before he died, Burgess published his final book, an autobiography entitled Now I Remember. That same year, he published his 15,000th story in his newspaper column, “Bedtime Stories.”
For more than a century, the animal world of Thornton Burgess has captivated children and their parents with charming tales. These lovable stories speak to his passion for nature and wildlife, and have been known to spark the same kind of passion in his readers.
Thornton Burgess Books
If you’re new to Burgess’ work, navigating his 170+ titles can be daunting! Here’s a helpful list to get you started:
Old Mother West Wind: Join Peter Cottontail, Grandfather Frog, Reddy Fox, and more fascinating animal friends as they navigate life in the Green Forest, the Laughing Brook, and the Smiling Pool. Through exciting adventures, find answers to questions like why Jimmy Skunk wears stripes and Grandfather Frog has no tail.
Mother West Wind “When” Stories: Find out “when” Old Mother’s creatures experienced important events in their lives… When old Mr. Grouse got his snowshoes; when old Mr. Rat became an outcast; when Bob White won his name; when Mr. Wood Mouse learned from the birds, and so on. The adventures are sure to captivate all of Peter Rabbit’s fans.
Mother West Wind “Why Stories: Get all your “why” questions answered in this collection of animal tales from Green Forest and Green Meadows. Why can’t Peter Rabbit fold his hands? Why does Jerry Muskrat build his house in the water? Why does Flitter the Bat fly at night?
The Burgess Bird Book for Children: Peter Rabbit and Jenny Wren join forces to “interview” the birds they meet. Sweet Voice the Vesper Sparrow, Longbill the Woodcock, and several other birds of North America share their ways of life with the rabbit and wren duo.
The Burgess Animal Book for Children: Follow the very curious Peter Rabbit as he learns all about animals from Old Mother Nature. Old Mother shares her vast wisdom with Peter through entertaining tales about Silvery Bat, Grasshopper Mouse, Arctic Hare, and many other animal friends.
The Adventures of Reddy Fox: Little Reddy Fox gets himself in some trouble with his antics and needs the help of wise Granny Fox and other woodland creatures to escape Farmer Brown’s boy.
The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat: What is happening to the Smiling Pool and the Laughing Brook? Join Jerry Muskrat and his wetland friends as they solve the mystery and learn valuable lessons along the way.
Blacky the Crow: With very sharp eyes that tend to get him in trouble, Blacky the Crow spots two fresh eggs that are nearly impossible to resist. Join Blacky as he devises a plan to snatch the eggs and find out if he succeeds in this classic Burgess tale.
Thornton Burgess Author and Book Study Pack
We have a wonderful Thornton Burgess animal stories set of notebooking pages and author study pages. You can grab them here in our shop !