Customer Reviews

Favorite Thornton Burgess Animal Stories Boxed Set (Sets)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(1)
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This boxed set contains six books- Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel, Adventures of Peter Cottontail, Adventures of Danny the Meadow Mouse, The Adventures of Reddy Fox, The Adventures of Buster Bear and The Adventures of Grandfather Frog. I really enjoyed these books as a child and have purchased them to read to my kids, age 5 and 6. They throughly enjoy the books as I did. It is great to be able to share these great stories with the kids.

This boxed set contains six books- Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel, Adventures of Peter Cottontail, Adventures of Danny the Meadow Mouse, The Adventures of Reddy Fox, The Adventures of Buster Bear and The Adventures of Grandfather Frog. I really enjoyed these books as a child and have purchased them to read to my kids, age 5 and 6. They throughly enjoy the books as I did. It is great to be able to share these great stories with the kids.

My daughter was reading these books in school, so I purchased a set for her at home since she was telling me about them and laughing long after she got home from school. I wanted to see what I was missing so I have been reading them to her at bed time. We have enjoyed The Adventures of Reddy Fox, The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse and The Adventures of Grandfather Frog, thus far. It is an enjoyable experience because while I am reading them for the first time, my 6 year old knows what's coming from her experience at school and she is having a great time enjoying her "secret". The stories are enjoyable to read even as an adult, and not the mindless clutter that so many children books are.

The Burgess books are very very great. I love them. The stories are fun and the covers are interesting. I want to collect them all and I think you would too. I am 9 years old.

I just bought both boxed sets to give to my brother for his children. We both remember the books fondly from when Mom would read them to us when we were young.

My boxed set contained these books: Peter Cottontail, Reddy Fox, Chatterer the Red Squirrel, Grandfather Frog, Danny Meadow Mouse, and Happy Jack. Note that previous reviews said the 6th book was Buster Bear. My set had Happy Jack in its place. I don't know if they changed the sets in 7 years or what happened. I suggest buying the sets first and then figure out which singles you still need if you want to complete your collection.

I bought this for my 5 year old son after checking out another book by Thornton Burgess (Old Mother West Wind) from the library that we liked. These stories are fun for both of us. Short chapters are good for short attention spans or they can be strung together for a longer story. Unlike The longer Burgess Animal Book for Childen, which reads like a list of facts, there are actual stories here which is good for younger children.

I am so sorry because I hate to be the rain on the parade and I know these are beloved classics, but I don't like these stories. The price is right, but I am disappointed that they are the staple of HOD's kindergarten program.

I tried to be a good sport about the joking, teasing, tricks, and boasting, but I just couldn't. Very ungodly examples and worldly justice system (payback, revenge, alliances, pride). They are exactly the models of behavior that I am trying to discourage in my littlest children--which is of course the point of the stories--but the morals are somewhat snidely done. I wish they were more gently done, ala "Frog and Toad" or "Winnie the Pooh" style.

I started with The Adventures of Reddy Fox, and I had to do so much explaining to my 4 and 5 year olds-- not just about the tricks, but also the plot and vocabulary. It was too difficult for them to understand what was happening from chapter to chapter without quite a bit of explaining. The Southern accent and regionalisms of several of the characters were also confusing for them to hear and follow along with in the text, which they wanted to do as I read, but it was really the sarcasm that was wearying me and making me hope they didn't pick up. I don't see any reason for sarcasm to be part of a very young child's universe at all.

That said, I have very sensitive children and I am aware that most kids stomach stories of payback very well. For those who love Brer Rabbit, Disney movies and the like, you'll love this series too. We aren't sheltered--we can laugh at a good prank--but we all saw a big difference between these stories and the sort of gentler learning by example--EB White, William Steig. We're probably the exception in this way, rather than the rule, but I think it's important to add this perspective. We read aloud all the time and have enjoyed many other classics, fairy tales, etc, more than these.

I bought this for my five year old son this past Christmas. We are happily reading our way through them now. My older kids listen in often so they clearly appeal to a wide age range.

I remember these books from my childhood, and now I'm reading the series to my 3 children, ages 5,7 and 9. They love the stories, and I feel good reading them wholesome, nature-inspired literature.

I must have read them all in the years following. What a great way to get kids into reading.

I've been thinking about re-reading these books for years. These books are really fun, at least when I was a kid. I haven't read them in 40 years so they may not interest me now but I bet they'll still hold up.

I still think of Old Mother West Wind and the Merry Little Breezes. And Farmer Brown's Boy must surely be in his 80s by now but who cares. Good fiction is timeless.

And these books must have been pretty good or I wouldn't remember them so fondly. Plus they're still in print.