Tommy Smith's Animals

by Edmund Selous, G. W. Ord (Illustrator)

All the animals in Tommy Smith's neighborhood lived in fear of him. Thinking that he would treat them more kindly if he knew more about them, they each agreed to meet him and share their life story. In these conversations Tommy Smith did indeed learn lots of information about the the food they ate, the places they slept, the enemies they faced, and much more. In the course of these encounters with the frog and toad, the rook, the rat, the hare, the snake, the peewit, the mole, the woodpigeon, the squirrel, and the owl, Tommy's heart did soften, and, as the barn owl had predicted, he became a friend to all the animals. Several black and white illustrations by G. W. Ord complement the text. Suitable for ages 7 and up.

Genres: Childrens, Science, Nature, Classics

166 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1899

About the author

Edmund Selous was a British ornithologist and writer. He was the younger brother of big-game hunter Frederick Selous. Born in London, the son of a wealthy stockbroker, Selous was educated privately and matriculated at Pembroke College, Cambridge in September 1877. He left without a degree and was admitted to the Middle Temple just over a year later and was called to the bar in 1881. He practised as a barrister only briefly before retiring to pursue the study of natural history and literature.

Reviews

[Katja Labonté · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. This is one of those good, dumbed-down-for-children Nature books. I can't say how I would have liked it as a child, but my siblings are reading this for school and don't seem to to love it much more than I do. I did find some parts rather humorous though, and it does have some good thoughts—the wood concerts idea is lovely, and boosts my rating to 3 stars. There are no mentions of Mother Nature/evolution.

A Favourite Quote: “‘[A]nimals have feelings as well as human beings. If you are kind to them, they are happy; but if you are unkind to them and hurt them, then they are unhappy. An animal, you know, is a living being like yourself, and surely it is better to make any living being happy than to make it unhappy.’”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “There was a concert, surely; the trees had given it. That is what came into Tommy Smith’s head, and perhaps he was right. It is in spring that the season begins. Then ladies and gentlemen dress themselves finely, and come and stand together in a crowd, and there is talking, and laughing, and singing. And here in the woods the trees had all put on fine new dresses of bright green, for their season of spring had come, and green was the fashionable colour.”
A Favourite Humourous Quote: “‘Mr. Adder, you don’t seem at all afraid of me; but, do you know, I think I ought to kill you, because you are poisonous.’
“‘I think you ought to leave me alone because I am poisonous,’ said the adder. ‘For if you were to try to kill me, I should have to bite you, and then, perhaps, I should kill you.’
“Tommy Smith did not like this remark of the adder’s at all. He began to feel afraid himself[.]”

[Rex Libris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in 1899 and I am sure it fooled many a young boy into learning something. Ostensibly it is a story of how the animals teach a young boy to be nice to animals. But in doing so, you actually learn about the animals themselves and their niche in the natural world.