Green Forest Stories by Thornton W. Burgess (best e ink reader for manga txt) đź“•
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American naturalist and conservationist Thornton W. Burgess was the author of more than one hundred books for children; the best-remembered of these is Old Mother West Wind, which was originally written for his young son. Burgess also wrote dozens of books about the creatures of the northern North American forest, four of which are collected here as the Green Forest Stories.
This Green Forest Stories compilation focuses on Lightfoot the Deer, Blacky the Crow, Whitefoot the Wood Mouse, and twin bear cubs Woof-Woof and Boxer. Readers may have encountered these characters in other of Burgess’s stories about the “little people” of the Massachusetts forest. Burgess’s earliest ventures into animal fantasy are roughly contemporary with Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories and Beatrix Potter’s tales of various animals, and represent the most lasting American entry into this genre.
Animal fantasy is a sub-genre of children’s literature in which animals are anthropomorphized into human-like characters and use language like humans. It is often criticized by those who want readers to experience more realistic representations of animals and the natural world, but animal fantasies engage a millennia-old tradition, in the Western canon reaching back at least as far as Aesop’s Fables; animal characters feature in teaching stories for children (and adults) in cultures around the world. Burgess’s stories are intended for children in the early elementary grades. The challenges and triumphs of the “little people” in his stories will feel identifiable to many young readers, and the snippets of moralizing and authorial commentary interleaved with the actions of the plot reflect a teaching device with a long history.
In the late twentieth century, Burgess fell out of favour with teachers and librarians. This shift occurred in part due to changing tastes in literary style and in part due to a changing society. Burgess is entirely a writer of his time. Most of the animals he depicts are male, and many of the female animals who wander into the stories are more passive and more stereotyped than the kinds of representation preferred for girls today. (Such is not the case, however, of Old Granny Fox, who may be the smartest of the little people Burgess represents and certainly does not lack agency or self-determination.)
The style of Burgess’s storytelling is undeniably old-fashioned but still deserves consideration. Although the writing is often simple and plain, there are rhetorical flourishes that reveal the author’s attention to craft. In particular, Burgess’s use of formulaic expressions such as “jolly, round, bright Mr. Sun” and “the Merry Little Breezes” links these tales to an orality that stretches back to at least The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer (think of phrases such as “the wine-dark sea,” “rosy-fingered Dawn,” and “bright-eyed Athena”). Through his broader use of repetition and through onomatopoeia, Burgess underscores characteristics of his characters’ real-life forest counterparts—the way a chickadee calls, a squirrel scolds, or a rabbit lopes, for example.
In these stories, as in the Green Meadow Stories collection, we observe features that signal Burgess’s experience as a writer for periodicals and as an early radio broadcaster. Each chapter begins with reminders about the previous chapter, and chapters end with either a strong, propulsive conclusion or a traditional cliff-hanger. The chapters are generally quite short—a comfortable size to read as a bedtime story, and just long enough to hold a new reader’s attention without demanding too much of that reader’s energy. The strong narrative voice sounds distinctly like oral storytelling. One can almost imagine a small group of young people seated in a circle at the storyteller’s feet.
That image captures the essence of these animal tales. They are light, bright peeks into a complex and beautiful world, a world any girl or boy may want to pursue through study or personal explorations. As humanity faces the daily loss of animal species, stories that delight readers and listeners, that encourage them to learn about and respect the creatures of the non-human world, deserve our renewed attention and respect.
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- Author: Thornton W. Burgess
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By Thornton W. Burgess.
Table of Contents Titlepage Imprint Dedication Green Forest Stories Lightfoot the Deer I: Peter Rabbit Meets Lightfoot II: Lightfoot’s New Antlers III: Lightfoot Tells How His Antlers Grew IV: The Spirit of Fear V: Sammy Jay Brings Lightfoot Word VI: A Game of Hide and Seek VII: The Merry Little Breezes Help Lightfoot VIII: Wit Against Wit IX: Lightfoot Becomes Uncertain X: Lightfoot’s Clever Trick XI: The Hunted Watches the Hunter XII: Lightfoot Visits Paddy the Beaver XIII: Lightfoot and Paddy Become Partners XIV: How Paddy Warned Lightfoot XV: The Three Watchers XVI: Visitors to Paddy’s Pond XVII: Sammy Jay Arrives XVIII: The Hunter Loses His Temper XIX: Sammy Jay Is Modest XX: Lightfoot Hears a Dreadful Sound XXI: How Lightfoot Got Rid of the Hounds XXII: Lightfoot’s Long Swim XXIII: Lightfoot Finds a Friend XXIV: The Hunter Is Disappointed XXV: The Hunter Lies in Wait XXVI: Lightfoot Does the Wise Thing XXVII: Sammy Jay Worries XXVIII: The Hunting Season Ends XXIX: Mr. and Mrs. Quack Are Startled XXX: The Mystery Is Solved XXXI: A Surprising Discovery XXXII: Lightfoot Sees the Stranger XXXIII: A Different Game of Hide and Seek XXXIV: A Startling New Footprint XXXV: Lightfoot Is Reckless XXXVI: Sammy Jay Takes a Hand XXXVII: The Great Fight XXXVIII: An Unseen Watcher XXXIX: Lightfoot Discovers Love XL: Happy Days in the Green Forest Blacky the Crow I: Blacky the Crow Makes a Discovery II: Blacky Makes Sure III: Blacky Finds Out Who Owns the Eggs IV: The Cunning of Blacky V: Blacky Calls His Friends VI: Hooty the Owl Doesn’t Stay Still VII: Blacky Tries Another Plan VIII: Hooty Comes to Mrs. Hooty’s Aid IX: Blacky Thinks of Farmer Brown’s Boy X: Farmer Brown’s Boy and Hooty XI: Farmer Brown’s Boy Is Tempted XII: A Treetop Battle XIII: Blacky Has a Change of Heart XIV: Blacky Makes a Call XV: Blacky Does a Little Looking About XVI: Blacky Finds Other Signs XVII: Blacky Watches a Queer Performance XVIII: Blacky Becomes Very Suspicious XIX: Blacky Makes More Discoveries XX: Blacky Drops a Hint XXI: At Last Blacky Is Sure XXII: Blacky Goes Home Happy XXIII: Blacky Calls Farmer Brown’s Boy XXIV: Farmer Brown’s Boy Does Some Thinking XXV: Blacky Gets a Dreadful Shock XXVI: Why the Hunter Got No Ducks XXVII: The Hunter Gives Up XXVIII: Blacky Has a Talk with Dusky the Black Duck XXIX: Blacky Discovers an Egg XXX: Blacky Screws Up His Courage XXXI: An Egg That Wouldn’t Behave XXXII: What Blacky Did with the Stolen Egg Whitefoot the Wood Mouse I: Whitefoot Spends a Happy Winter II: Whitefoot Sees Queer Things III: Farmer Brown’s Boy Becomes Acquainted IV: Whitefoot Grows Anxious V: The End of Whitefoot’s Worries VI: A Very Careless Jump VII: Whitefoot Gives Up Hope VIII: The Rescue IX: Two Timid Persons Meet X: The White Watchers XI: Jumper Is in Doubt XII: Whitey the Owl Saves Jumper XIII: Whitefoot Decides Quickly XIV: Shadow’s Return XV: Whitefoot’s Dreadful Journey XVI: Whitefoot Climbs a Tree XVII: Whitefoot Finds a Hole Just in Time XVIII: An Unpleasant Surprise XIX: Whitefoot Finds a Home at Last XX: Whitefoot Makes Himself at Home XXI: Whitefoot Envies Timmy XXII: Timmy Proves to Be a True Neighbor XXIII: Whitefoot Spends a Dreadful Night XXIV: Whitefoot the Wood Mouse Is Unhappy XXV: Whitefoot Finds Out What the Matter Was XXVI: Love Fills the Heart of Whitefoot XXVII: Mr. and Mrs. Whitefoot XXVIII: Mrs. Whitefoot Decides on a Home XXIX: Making Over an Old House XXX: The Whitefoots Enjoy Their New Home XXXI: Whitefoot Is Hurt XXXII: The Surprise Buster Bear’s Twins I: Mother Bear’s Secret II: Peter Scares the Twins III: Peter’s Glee Is Short-Lived IV: Boxer and Woof-Woof V: Out in the Great World VI: The Twins Climb a Tree VII: A Scare That Didn’t Work VIII: Too Late Chatterer Is Sorry IX: The Twins Have to Go Home X: The Twins Get Even with Peter Rabbit XI: Peter Is in a Tight Place XII: Peter Takes a Chance XIII: A Great Mix-Up of Little Bears XIV: Two Foolish-Feeling Little Bears XV: The Twins Meet Their Father XVI: The Twins Take to a Tree XVII: Mother Comes to the Rescue XVIII: The Twins Are Comforted XIX: The Cubs Talk It Over XX: The Twins Get Their First Bath XXI: The Twins Are Still Puzzled XXII: Boxer Gets a Spanking XXIII: Boxer Is Sulky XXIV: Boxer Starts Out to Get Even XXV: Chatterer Has Fun with Boxer XXVI: Alone and Lost in the Great World XXVII: A Dreadful Night for a Little Bear XXVIII: Boxer Gets His Own Breakfast XXIX: Boxer Has a Painful Lesson XXX: Boxer Is Sadder but Much Wiser XXXI: Boxer Meets a Polite Little Fellow XXXII: Boxer Wishes He Hadn’t XXXIII: Woof-Woof Turns Up Her Nose XXXIV: All Is Well at Last Colophon Uncopyright ImprintThis ebook is the product of many hours of hard work by volunteers for Standard Ebooks, and builds on the hard work of other literature lovers made
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