Talking Animals and the Writing of Thornton T. Burgess
I vaguely remember being a child reading some already faded books by Thornton W. Burgess. His stories were filled with characters like Mother West Wind, Mrs. Grouse, Mr. Snake, Jack Squirrel, Hooty the Owl, and Grandfather Frog. Recently a friend brought up this author, and said she thought his work had gone out of fashion because of their use of
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My dad grew up on these books (then grew up to marry the daughter of a pet-store owner, and they both became veterinarians--there's something there!). So we had them around when we were kids. I loved them.
Then I tried them out on my son when he was young, just starting with a collection of stories. He was okay with them, not thrilled, but then, he never went for Dick King-Smith's books either.
My husband HATED the books. Not so much the anthopormophizing (I know I spelled that wrong!), but the capitalization. He happened to choose a story about Mother West Wind, rather than one of the animals, then went around the house saying, "Merry Little Breezes...Merry Little Breezes..." in an irritating (and irritated) sing-song voice.
We didn't go much further with the series after that. :)
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I remember reading Old Mother West Wind etc.
in 2000 my husband & I went to Sandwich,Mass. - on Cape Cod and toured the little museum they have about him. I bought & read the biography his granddaughter wrote about him -- fascinating -to find out how prolific he was and also to read her tell about his love and interest in nature.
I bought a puzzle of a picture from one of the books -- with most of the characters in it.
I went back to the museum last month -- it's a lot smaller just 2 rooms really, they gave up the other room - maybe to get rent$ -- so now it's mostly a souvenir shop and a room with a life size replica of him and a classrrom from back when he'd visit schools.
http://www.thorntonburgess.org/Museum.htm
There's a Thornton Burgess Society
http://www.thorntonburgess.org/
& a nature center
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http://www.amazon.com/My-Grandfather-Thornton-W-Burgess/dp/1889833053/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224622038&sr=1-5
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