I really have no idea why, but Thornton Burgess books are just adored in my household. My 4 year old (who is easily distracted during read-alouds) is riveted by this author. We chose Jimmy Skunk after finishing up Blacky the Crow because it was $1.00 on Amazon (shipped Prime) and all the rest were $2-$3. The chapters are short and you learn a lot about the habits of the actual animals in the process of reading the narrative.

Probably my favourite of the Wilder books I’ve read.

The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk is one of the classics. I just re-read it to see if it's appropriate for my 3.5 yr old. Enjoyed it just as much as the first 26 times I read it.

Thornton Burgess books are guilty pleasures to be sure. I was a somewhat sickly child growing up - missing over a third of my first grade year due to bad ear infections. Like so many bedridden kids before me, I learned a love for reading and writing during those convalescent days. And much of my appreciation therein can be attributed directly to the works of Thornton Burgess. I remember with great fondness my father bringing me an armful of Burgess books from the corner library. They might have been ones I read before - but I didn't care a whit - they were great friends to me.

I know that Rose Kennedy was famously dismissive of future President John Kennedy's love for the Burgess books as a child and referred to them in the most condescending of terms. These are not works of great erudition to be sure. But neither do they aspire to be. They are simple homespun tales showing the anthropomorphosed interactions of the natural world. Old Man Coyote does indeed try to eat Peter Rabbit, Sammy Jay does indeed squawk and steal glittery objects. But yes, they do wear clothes and speak. It is perhaps inevitable that we try to put the animal world in a human context - why even the beloved Jane Goodall does that with her studies of the Chimpanzee in Gombe, Tanzania. Harrison Cady's drawings in the original reinforcing this humanizing by placing the animals in country-style overalls that give the characters a sort of folksy-ness that Burgess aspired to.

"The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk" is one of my most favorite of the Green Forest series of books by Burgess. Ostensibly it is two simple stories tied together in one fast paced book. The first story concerns the misfortunes of Reddy Fox who is blamed for waking a blissfully sleeping Jimmy Skunk (though Peter Rabbit is responsible) and the second concern Unc' Billy Possum and Jimmy trying to get an easy meal of eggs in Farmer Brown's henhouse.

Like many of the series, "The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk" is a cautionary tale. The morality of the stories is reinforced through the consequences of actions and some not so subtle, though quaintly apropos epigraphs:

"Tis little things that often seem
Scarce woth a passing thought.
Which in the end may prove that they
With big results are fraught."

But it is the fun of the language that made me return to the stories again and again. Even now I get giddy at the prospect of new releases from Dover Thrift Editions to complete my collection. For one thing - how many kids books use the word 'fraught'? How lovely! Just great simple storylines written with an elegance and flow that draws one in effectively. Beautiful, beautiful books.

Awesome childrens story,narrator does well!

Not essential childhood reading but enjoyable. Silly characters in odd situations teaching old fashioned morals.

Reading this again. My children love anything from the Mother West Wind series!

Such joyful adventures, all with some behind the scenes morality lessons. Such a plus, especially when reading to younger ones.

We love the witty storytelling style of Burgess. His books make perfect read aloud stories. Chapters are short and can easily be read throughout day. These stories guarantee laughter and welcomed banter.

To easy to read for me, but still it is interesting. It is not as much about Jimmy Skunk as I thought though, becuase there are large parts about the fox and the rabbit, along with a bit about the possum.

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 very shelf, even the exact spot in the little library in Felton, CA where these books were kept. I would return practically every week with a new armload to last me until our next trip to the library. Often I would carry out stories that I read several times before, just so I could once again escape into this imaginary world of furry mischief.

I remember these books well in concept, though the specifics of most of the stories elude me. It was easily fifteen years ago when I began reading them and has been over a decade since I last picked up one of Burguess' stories to read it. That being said, this review is being written as a look back.

These stories are very simple and very fun. Of course, they are children's literature, so that's to be expected, but these stories strike me as especially so. Even still, I can remember some fascinating things I gleaned between the their covers.

For one thing, Burgess did a fantastic job of presenting the ideas of persepective and motivation in simplistic terms. For example, "The Adventures of Danny Field Mouse" would cast Old Man Coyote as a vicious, mean creature wishing to prey on Danny and his friends and family. Yet, pick up instead "The Adventures of Old Man Coyote" and you'll see that when the story is told with him as the protagonist, those pesky field mice are annoying and useful for little more than a snack. After reading both books, you're no more inclined to think of Old Man Coyote as a villian than you are to think of Danny Field Mouse as a pest that should be exterminated. (Note: This is a generic example. I do not recall if Old Man Coyote plays a role in Danny Field Mouse's story or the other way around, but this concept was presented several times. It made an impression on me.)

The only characters consistantly presented as antagonists were Farmer Brown and his boy. This would be one of the only things that I chalk up as odd, or maybe just a little "off" in these books. Humans and their influence on nature are presented as a negative influence on nature and animals - always. It's interesting to note though that while humans are seen as a negative, humanity is lauded and held up as virtuous. All of the animals take on not only human personalities but characteristics, traits, and mannerisms. From a frog with a monocle and an otter with a handkerchief tied to a stick, to a busy-body Jay and a reclusive owl who desires only to be left alone, humanity and it's traits keep cropping up.

Which would be another thing of value I feel that I saw in the Burgess books. These stories are full of social interaction and personality conflicts, even if they are charicatured more often than not. We see over and over again a working out of peace, if not harmony, between conflicting personalities. It may not always be easy to point out a scripture to reinforce the lesson implied, but social harmony is presented and more often than not, resolution is through reconciliation, forgiveness, or a similar method that is not only laudable, but distinctly Christian in action if not motivation.

All in all, the world created by Thornton W. Burgess is imaginative, innocent, fun, and educational. My reccomendation? Grab a handful from your local library, gather a group of kids as an excuse, and lose yourselves in childhood imaginations as you read aloud the stories that have captivated several generations of young readers with the antics of our furry, albiet elusively human, friends.

(Disclaimers: As I said, it has been over a decade since I actually read one of Burgess' books. As such, there may be a specific example that's a little off in this review or something that I would have noticed as an adult that my childhood memories are missing. Also, all of these books say I read them in 1998. While I'm certain I read several of them that year, I'm sure I read some before and after that date as well.)

Jimmy Skunk threw some perfume in Reddy Fox's eyes. And Reddy Fox was wiping it because some even got in his eyes. And the words said "poor Reddy". Done.

Reading this to my daughter at bed time! Great life lessons and funny situations! Loved it!!