I read as many of these Thornton Burgess books as we had, several times, during my youth. Chatterer the Red Squirrel was the title that remained embedded in memory over the decades.

Now my father, 102 years old and in long-term care, finds these Burgess books entertaining.

The Burgess titles are timel

This is not my favorite of the Burgess books, mostly because Mrs. Whitefoot is rude to her husband and calls him stupid repeatedly. My little guy and I learned what a shrike is from this book. We Googled, and it's true: these birds impale their prey on thorns: fascinating, and gross.

I liked the chapter called "Whitefoot Finds a Hole Just in Time". And Butcher the Shrike nearly caught Whitefoot.

Published first in 1922, and is part of the Great Forest series, featuring different animals. Its written in old-school language of rural gentility. Some nature lessons for children are hidden in it as well. Basically, though, there's a mouse. And some other things.

Good book

This brings back memories of my dad reading me these from the local news paper. Still as sweet as ever. Simple, but not dated.

Not much of a nature girl myself, I find books like these quite interesting to read. It is a much more romantic way to learn about animals and birds than those nature documentaries. Burgess creatures come alive as you read about them, but they are written in an almost fictional way. It is like watch

The Burgess Books

This is a phrase that brings a smile to my face as often as I hear it. As a young child, I would lose myself for hours in the simple world of the wood and pond inhabited by Little Joe Otter, Buster Bear, Grandfather Frog, and terrorized by Farmer Brown's Boy. I can remember the ver