Thornton W. Burgess (1874–1965)
Author of The Burgess Bird Book for Children
About the Author
Thornton Waldo Burgess was born in Sandwich on January 14, 1874. Burgess graduated from Sandwich High School in 1891, and went on to attend a Business College in Boston from 1892-93. At the age of 17, Burgess briefly lived in Boston and then moved to Springfield, Massachusetts. He bought a place in show more Hampden, Massachusetts in 1925 and made it his permanent home in 1957. He published his first book, Old Mother West Wind, in 1910 Burgess was a naturalist and conservationist, and loved loved nature and its living creatures so much that he wrote about them for 50 years. By the time he retired, he had written more than 170 books and 15,000 stories for daily columns in newspapers. Burgess was also actively involved with conservation efforts. Some of his projects over his lifetime included: The Green Meadow Club for land conservation programs. The Bedtime Stories Club for wildlife protection programs, the Happy Jack Squirrel Saving Club for War Savings Stamps & Bonds, the Radio Nature League broadcast from WBZA Springfield, MA., as well as helping to pass laws protecting migrant wildlife. For his efforts, an Honorary Literary Degree was bestowed upon Burgess in 1938 from Northeastern University. The Boston Museum of Science awarded him a gold medal for "leading children down the path to the wide wonderful world of the outdoors." He was also awarded the distinguished Service Medal of the Permanent Wildlife Protection Fund. In 1960, Burgess published his last book, Now I Remember, an autobiography. That same year, Burgess at the age of 83, had published his 15,000th story. From 1912 to 1960, without interruption, Burgess wrote a syndicated daily newspaper column titled "Bedtime Stories". Thornton Burgess died June 5, 1965, at the age of 91. The Thornton W. Burgess Society was incorporated in 1976. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Chicago Daily News negatives collection, DN-0003451. Courtesy of Chicago History Museum.
Series
Works by Thornton W. Burgess
Thornton Burgess Five-Minute Bedtime Tales: From Old Mother West Wind's Library (Dover Children's Classics) (2011) 21 copies
THORNTON BURGESS Ultimate Collection: 37 Children's Books & Bedtime Stories with Original Illustrations: Mother… (2018) 15 copies
The Burgess Animal Book for Children (COLOR Edition): The Unabridged 1920 Edition with Original Illustrations (2021) 9 copies
Thornton W. Burgess Collection - The Mother West Wind Series Vol. I: Old Mother West Wind, Mother West Wind's Children,… (2021) 4 copies
Thornton W. Burgess Collection - The Mother West Wind Series, Vol. II: Mother West Wind "WHY" Stories, Mother West Wind… (2021) 3 copies
Nature Almanac 3 copies
Stories to Read Aloud 3 copies
Buster Bear Twins 3 copies
Burgess' Bedtime Story-Books, Vol. 1: Reddy Fox, Johnny Chuck, Peter Cottontail, & Unc' Billy Possum (2011) 2 copies
Unc' Billy Gets Even 2 copies
Burgess' Bedtime Story-Books, Vol. 3: The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel, Sammy Jay, Buster Bear, and Old Mr.… (2011) 2 copies
The Collected Works of Thornton Burgess (Illustrated Edition): Children's Books Classics, Animal Tales & Bedtime… (2018) 2 copies
The Burgess Bird Book with Original Illustrations in B&W: Bird and Nature Education Storybook for Kids (2021) 2 copies
The Burgess Bird Book for Children (Illustrated): The 1922 Classic Edition with Original Illustrations (2024) 2 copies
The Burgess Bird Book for Children (Annotated):,Adapted for use with Charlotte Mason's Methods (2012) 2 copies
The adventures of Mr. Mocker 2 copies
Old Mother West Wind 01 2 copies
Mother West Wind 'Where' Stories 2 copies
LITTLE PETER COTTONTAIL 2 copies
Happy Jacks 1 copy
The Adventures of Billy Mink 1 copy
Robber the Rat Loses Out 1 copy
Neighbors 1 copy
Bob White 1 copy
The New Burgess Flower Book 1 copy
The Greatest Works of Thornton Burgess: Children's Books Classics, Animal Tales & Bedtime Stories: Old Mother West… (2019) 1 copy
Friendly Animals 1 copy
Old Mother West Wind (Illustrated Edition): Wonderful Warmhearted Collection of Nature and Animal Tales & Beloved… (2018) 1 copy
The New Burgess Animal Book 1 copy
The New Burgess Bird Book 1 copy
The New Burgess Flower Book 1 copy
Unc' Billy Possum 1 copy
buster bear's twins 1 copy
How To Draw Forest Animals 1 copy
Various Animal Stories 1 copy
The New Burgess Animal Book 1 copy
The New Burgess Bird Book 1 copy
Peter Rabbit's Carrots 1 copy
Fun with Farmer Brown's Boy 1 copy
Peter Rabbit is Lonesome 1 copy
Jerry Muskrat is Laughed At 1 copy
reads to you LP 1 copy
A Glad Time Made a Sad Time 1 copy
The Digging Match 1 copy
Tommy's Wishing-Stone Adventures: Tommy and the Wishing Stone / Tommy's Wishes Come True / Tommy's Change of Heart (2010) 1 copy
Burgess' Bedtime Story-Books, Vol. 4: Adventures of Prickly Porky | Old Man Coyote | Paddy the Beaver | Poor Mrs. Quack (2010) 1 copy
Jimmy Skunk's Justice 1 copy
Busy Folks and Sleepy Folks 1 copy
Peter Rabbit's Prank 1 copy
The Stolen Eggs 1 copy
Whitefoot's Secret 1 copy
Green Forest Series 4 volumes: Blacky the Crow, Buster Bear's Twins, Lightfoot the Deer, Whitefoot the Wood Mouse (1923) 1 copy
Green Meadow Stories 1 copy
Tempo Thornton Burgess Library. [4 V: Adventures of Lightfoot the Deer/ Adventures of Johnny Chuck/ Adventures of Sammy… (1953) 1 copy
Robber The Rat, No. 3700-B 1 copy
BETTY BEAR'S LESSON. 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Burgess, Thornton Waldo
- Birthdate
- 1874-01-14
- Date of death
- 1965-06-05
- Burial location
- Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Sandwich, Massachusetts, USA
- Place of death
- Hampden, Massachusetts, USA
- Places of residence
- Sandwich, Massachusetts, USA
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Hampden, Massachusetts, USA
Springfield, Massachusetts, USA - Education
- Sandwich High School, Sandwich, Massachusetts, USA (1891)
- Occupations
- children's book author
conservationist
Members
Reviews
Old Mother West Wind by Thornton W. Burgess
Lovely animal stories, these are sometimes just right for a soothing bedtime. My 5 year old is not excited to read more, but enjoys them when we do sit down for a quiet story or two.
Month of January 2022: Young Reader’s Classics
Not listed in the Accelerated Reader’s Program (ages 8-14 yrs, 2nd-8th grade)
A children’s classic originally published in 1922.
Thornton Burgess grew up in Sandwich, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he spent his time exploring around the water and woods and fell in love with nature. He started telling these stories to his one and only son. Then, he began a daily column in the New York Tribune. Finally, they were published in book form. His first novel, “Old Mother West Wind”, was published in 1910. They are stories that teach.
After reading this adventure story, kids will love envisioning what the crows may be thinking and doing next time they are out playing in the woods and hear them cawing. Burgess combines real characteristics of the crows behaviors with teachable moments for children…and the child may not even realize they are being taught because it’s the animals talking.
Blacky the Crow has two adventures. First, he has to decide just how important it is to satisfy his hunger for a couple of owl eggs. Does he risk his life and the lives of his friends? Second, is it worth risking his own life to warn his duck friends of the hunter who is hiding out nearby and coercing them into the area by putting out corn every morning, giving them a false sense of security?
I loved it! This would be a really good bedtime story to read to your young kids. Maybe a chapter or two a night. I’m thinking my two young hunter grandsons would love this. They have very imaginative minds. But I don’t think it will turn them off from deer hunting in the least. They love it too much.
READ IT FREE
Can be downloaded for free to your Kindle or read online at Project Gutenberg:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4979… (more)
Not listed in the Accelerated Reader’s Program (ages 8-14 yrs, 2nd-8th grade)
A children’s classic originally published in 1922.
Thornton Burgess grew up in Sandwich, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he spent his time exploring around the water and woods and fell in love with nature. He started telling these stories to his one and only son. Then, he began a daily column in the New York Tribune. Finally, they were published in book form. His first novel, “Old Mother West Wind”, was published in 1910. They are stories that teach.
After reading this adventure story, kids will love envisioning what the crows may be thinking and doing next time they are out playing in the woods and hear them cawing. Burgess combines real characteristics of the crows behaviors with teachable moments for children…and the child may not even realize they are being taught because it’s the animals talking.
Blacky the Crow has two adventures. First, he has to decide just how important it is to satisfy his hunger for a couple of owl eggs. Does he risk his life and the lives of his friends? Second, is it worth risking his own life to warn his duck friends of the hunter who is hiding out nearby and coercing them into the area by putting out corn every morning, giving them a false sense of security?
I loved it! This would be a really good bedtime story to read to your young kids. Maybe a chapter or two a night. I’m thinking my two young hunter grandsons would love this. They have very imaginative minds. But I don’t think it will turn them off from deer hunting in the least. They love it too much.
READ IT FREE
Can be downloaded for free to your Kindle or read online at Project Gutenberg:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4979… (more)
An interesting autobiographical account by Burgess of his life and career, which was far more varied than I understood. Very enjoyable.
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Statistics
- Works
- 315
- Also by
- 6
- Members
- 24,358
- Popularity
- #862
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 79
- ISBNs
- 1,147
- Languages
- 7
- Favorited
- 12