The Adventures of Buster Bear

The Bedtime Story Books

by Thornton W. Burgess, Harrison Cady

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Animals, Classics, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Animal Fiction, Nature

63 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1916

About the author

Thornton W. (Waldo) Burgess (1874-1965), American author, naturalist and conservationist, wrote popular children's stories including the Old Mother West Wind (1910) series. He would go on to write more than 100 books and thousands of short-stories during his lifetime.

Thornton Burgess loved the beauty of nature and its living creatures so much that he wrote about them for 50 years in books and his newspaper column, "Bedtime Stories". He was sometimes known as the Bedtime Story-Man. By the time he retired, he had written more than 170 books and 15,000 stories for the daily newspaper column.

Born in Sandwich, Massachusetts, Burgess was the son of Caroline F. Haywood and Thornton W. Burgess Sr., a direct descendant of Thomas Burgess, one of the first Sandwich settlers in 1637. Thornton W. Burgess, Sr., died the same year his son was born, and the young Thornton Burgess was brought up by his mother in Sandwich. They both lived in humble circumstances with relatives or paying rent. As a youth, he worked year round in order to earn money. Some of his jobs included tending cows, picking trailing arbutus or berries, shipping water lilies from local ponds, selling candy and trapping muskrats. William C. Chipman, one of his employers, lived on Discovery Hill Road, a wildlife habitat of woodland and wetland. This habitat became the setting of many stories in which Burgess refers to Smiling Pool and the Old Briar Patch.

Graduating from Sandwich High School in 1891, Burgess briefly attended a business college in Boston from 1892 to 1893, living in Somerville, Massachusetts, at that time. But he disliked studying business and wanted to write. He moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he took a job as an editorial assistant at the Phelps Publishing Company. His first stories were written under the pen name W. B. Thornton.

Burgess married Nina Osborne in 1905, but she died only a year later, leaving him to raise their son alone. It is said that he began writing bedtime stories to entertain his young son, Thornton III. Burgess remarried in 1911; his wife Fannie had two children by a previous marriage. The couple later bought a home in Hampden, Massachusetts, in 1925 that became Burgess' permanent residence in 1957. His second wife died in August 1950. Burgess returned frequently to Sandwich, which he always claimed as his birthplace and spiritual home.

In 1960, Burgess published his last book, "Now I Remember, Autobiography of an Amateur Naturalist," depicting memories of his early life in Sandwich, as well as his career highlights. That same year, Burgess, at the age of 86, had published his 15,000th story. He died on June 5, 1965, at the age of 91 in Hampden, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 7 yr old gave these books a 5. I agree. "His books are awesome' she says.I liked the way morals were told in an entertaining way. I bet my daughter didn't feel she was being moralized at because she wanted to hear the whole book. I've tried others that had a distinct 'moral' or 'value' and she hates it.(Books that go ... is thankful or ... learns to be honest. blah.

Burgess books are interesting entertaining and a good read. Hopefully the little lessons learned by the animals were also learned and put away in the back of my daughter's mind!

But if not, that's ok. A book is meant to entertain and if it did that, that works for me.

They are a little 'old-fashioned' meaning the sun is called: Mr. round red jolly sun, the wind is Old Mother West Wind, a breeze is One of Mother West Wind's Children, the Merry Little Breezes etc. Quaint and not exactly science but endearing nonetheless. But other than that these books are science in story form. The stories are about real life things that frogs or bears or skunks do or could do. Unlike most books with animals as main characters where they learn to ride bikes, win the spelling bee at school etc. Beginning animal lore for young children. Or budding animal lovers.

If you miss any of these from your local library they are also on Gutenberg's free books site.

Personally I think that these should be re-released with new covers so kids will read them again.

The books themselves:

Buster Bear: Buster moves to the Green Woods. This doesn't please the other animals because he takes 'their' fish, and they are frightened of him. But when the animals find out that Farmer Brown's Boy is afraid of Buster, they look at him with new eyes...until they find out the next personality trait Buster shows.

Morals/ values/ lessons intertwined in the book: temper, new friends come to the neighborhood.

Old Mother West Wind: A group of stories with Mother West Wind or her Little Breezes helping the animals of the Meadow and forest. A couple of 'how the xxx got/ lost zzz' stories also that were quite entertaining.

Morals/ values/ lessons intertwined in the book: vanity, friendship, contentment, helpfulness.


Danny Meadow Mouse: Danny gets upset because he has a short tail. He also gets caught by Hooty the Owl, who wants him for dinner.

Morals/ values/ lessons intertwined in the book: greed, anger, envy, kindness, friendship, look before you leap.


Grandfather Frog: He decides it's time for him to see more of the world. A little risk keeps life exciting. He has some exciting adventures before discovering 'there's no place like home'.

Morals/ values/ lessons intertwined in the book: greed, mischieviousness, thoughtlessness, patience.

Old Man Coyote: Something is making a new sound in the Green Meadows/ Green Forest. The animals don't know what it could be. When it is discovered who has moved in, Granny Fox is determined to oust them from HER feeding grounds. Granny is in for a surprise because this stranger isn't easy to fool.

Morals/ values/ lessons intertwined in the book: courage, resisting temptation, good planning

Bobby Coon: Poor Bobby awakes from his winter nap to find his tree being chopped down! He is injured in the fall but taken good care of by Farmer Brown' Boy His trial are not yet over. Bobby must find a new home but that is harder than he thinks.

Morals/ values/ lessons intertwined in the book: helping others, not worrying needlessly, losing your temper.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precious book. Grab a child and read it to them or with them.

[Jon E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember when Farmer Brown's boy left a pail of blueberries and Buster Bear came along because he was going to go eating berries too. And Farmer Brown's Boy's mother promised him that he would make blueberry pie if he came home with blueberries. And Buster Bear put the pail on his head to get lots more berries and Buster Bear, when he was full, ran off and the pail came down on his neck and Buster Bear did not like that and tried to shake it off, and then a Farmer Brown's Boy came back and was very puzzled that the pail was gone. And Buster Bear came to a bunch of other people, like Jimmy Skunk and Bobby Coon. Buster Bear tried to catch Bobby Coon, no that's not right, the Red Squirrel or something? Do you remember his name Daddy? And the Red Squirrel was too scared to jump on the other side or branch, no on the ground. And he remembered what Mother Nature had said, he could spread his hands out and jump down something like a napkin that is floating down in a big square. And Buster Bear was disappointed. And later Buster Bear got the pail off his neck and he was so happy, and that's it.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids love Burgess' animal stories.

[gloriabluestocking · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my son. A sweet, exciting, charming story.

[Sara Hollar · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO cute! Another 5 star for the Burgess Animal Stories collection.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Modern cover for an older story. This is a reprint of an older series of children stories. The cover of this one gives it a "face lift". The artwork differs from the cover once you turn the page.

I didn't know this instantly because I never heard of this book before. But I found it odd that the cover look like something from Little Bill but the inside drawings looked more antique.

The writing differs from today's children stories and what we use to get in books. Due to the age of this book they are free to access. You can read this online through a Kindle, Nook and whoever else has a copy. You can also access it on Project Gutenberg.

This book was accessed on Netgalley to look through and review. But this one was a limited access with only given us 4 pages to examine this. So, I don't know if there is anything extra in this one or if it's just a reprint with a modern cover to draw interest from kids today. I think it'll work the cover was why I downloaded it in the first place.

But the limited pages may be due to because this is easily accessed everywhere else to read. The Table of Contents is modernized. The copy I have on Kindle and on Project Gutenberg are Roman Numerals. In their version they're our regular Hindu-Arabic numerals which is easier on our students and makes it feel newer.

Based on what I see in the Table of Contents they have everything the original copy has. With extra feature -- At the end of the book you can read about the author!

I am all for bringing older stories into today's classroom or at your house.

[Noella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deze keer gaat het verhaal over Buster Bear. Hij is een hele tijd weggebleven van het grondgebied van het kleine volkje, maar nu heeft hij besloten om zich daar een tijdje te vestigen. De eerste waar hij het mee aan de stok krijgt is Little Joe Otter, omdat de beer vis vangt op de plaatsen waar de otter ook graag vist. Het ottertje probeert iedereen op te stoken tegen de beer, maar besluit dan toch dat het maar het beste is om vriendschap te sluiten en samen te vissen. En dan ontdekt hij iets geweldigs: Farmer Brown's Boy, waar iedereen bang voor is, blijkt bang te zijn voor Buster, en op de loop te gaan als hij de afdruk van een berepoot gezien heeft. De dieren willen dit toch nog eens testen, en lokken een confrontatie tussen de jongen en de beer uit. En inderdaad gaat de jongen lopen als hij de beer ziet, maar....ook Buster schrikt zo van de ontmoeting met de jongen, dat hij het ook op een lopen zet! Een reden voor de dieren, en vooral Sammy Jay, om hem te pesten.

[Jory Bayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story that my 4.5 year old enjoyed. It was a good blend of realistic, forest whimsy and subtle sophisticated life wisdom that didn’t feel hokey or moralizing. This seems like a lost art in modern children’s literature. That said, I found the plot to be lacking coherency and I finished the book not quite sure what the point was. This is probably a ‘me’ problem though haha.

[Amy Ingalls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having lived in Hampden, MA, I love Thornton Burgess. I can picture the Laughing Brook (in fact, I have been there) and the Green Meadow as they must have been in his time. Buster Bear's story was a fun one.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars & 3/10 hearts. I remember particularly enjoying this book as a child, and I still like it. It has some good lessons and some humour, and is quick, easy read. 

A Favourite Quote: “Getting even just for spite / Doesn't always pay. / Fact is, it is very apt / To work the other way.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “He heard Sammy Jay way off in the distance screaming, ‘Thief! Thief!’ and grinned. 
“‘I wonder,’ thought Buster, ‘if some one has stolen Sammy's breakfast, or if he has stolen the breakfast of some one else. Probably he is the thief himself.’”

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pleasant read that my kids really enjoyed. It is a simple story that will amuse your kids, while instructing them in common sense, courtesy, and humility.

[Lizze Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the Thornton Burgess books. Caleb will listen to these on repeat all day if I let him. (Audio on CanonPlus)

[Christopher Rush · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this with my six-year-old son, and neither us were gripped. Perhaps pedantic sententiousness and bloviate redundancy were all the style a century ago, but I strongly suspect neither of us would have been favorably impressed had we read this when it first came out either. Which is not to say my son and I are jaded, cynical humans. Rather, it is to say we prefer good, well-written stories instead of this saccharine-suffused blather. As far as moralizing tales go, this isn't even very good at communicating decent morals to the kids. "If you steal things and get caught, as long as you growl and intimidate the people around you, things will work out," seems to be the lesson our "hero" learns. It's okay that he steals from grumpy people because, well, they're grumpy. With character names like "Blacky the Crow," who is a villain in this lovely kid's book, I fail to see its appeal today. It hasn't the quaintness that often keeps older things afloat, like slap bracelets and pogs. This is just ... antiquated. It's no Beatrix Potter, so stick with her.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Adventures of Buster Bear by Thornton W. Burgess
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group - Seagrass Press
ISBN: 9781633224575
Publish Date: March 6, 2018

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Seagrass Press for the ebook ARC of The Adventures of Buster Bear by Thornton W. Burgess.

“The Adventures of Buster Bear introduces a new generation to Thornton W. Burgess’s long - loved Bedtime Stories characters.” (Goodreads)
Buster Bear is new to the Green Forest and he is having some trouble making new friends because he is so big and so is his appetite.

I give this book a rating of 5 stars. I read this book to my kids and they really enjoyed it. Fun story!

#TheAdventuresOfBusterBear #NetGalley

[خالد]

باستر الدب، أيسمى لصا من يجد سمكة قرب النهر فيأكلها؟ لعلها تعود لشخص آخر.

لكن باستر الدب لا يهتم، فهو دب، دب كبير يروع بقية الحيوانات بحجمه وصوته، لكن ذلك لن يدوم طويلا بلا شك، فكل شخص ينال ما يستحق، حتى وإن كان الأمر متعلقا بدب.

هذه قصة كالتي تحكى في الرسوم المتحركة، دب يدعى باستر يحل ضيفا (ضيف مزعج وغير مرحب به بلا شك) على حيوانات الغابة الخضراء، ويزعج ويروع أحيانا من فيها، فيها دروس عن الطمع والسرقة ونتائج ذلك، ومناسبة جدا للأطفال لسهولة قراءتها والطريقة البسيطة في وصف شخصياتها.

أحسست وكأنني شاهدت فيلم كرتون، حلقة واحدة منه ويمكن بناء المزيد من الحلقات عليه، وكانت كالنزهة المستحقة بعد أسبوع متعب.

[Bekah Boo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buster Bear had stolen little Joe Otter's fish and made him so mad that little Joe Otter muddied up all the little pools in the river where Buster Bear fished. By using Grandfather Frog's advice, "your enemy can become your friend," they became friends. Buster Bear also stole Farmer Brown's son's berries. Then Farmer Brown's son tried to get him back by knocking on Buster Bear's door and trying to scare him with a bucket on his head. Buster Bear was completely scared! These are just some of the fun adventures that happened in this book!

[Jimyanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thornton Burgess series in general is quite an endearing series of children's books, which do a fine job of being readable by young readers and having interesting plots and introducing young people to a variety of animals in a semi-anthropomorphized way. This particular entry, "The Adventures of Buster Bear" is one of the best of the lot, and it's a delightful read for a youngster, or for an older person who is willing to be a child again for the hour or so that it would take to read it.

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a reprint of older stories by Thornton W. Burgess. They are short stories that go together in a story, but can be read individually. They have a little moral written into the story. There are very few illustrations and that is certainly a draw back in this day and age. I found them cute, but not a book I would probably buy for my personal library or for my grandchildren. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

[Ruth York · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had found myself in a reading-rut, not being able to finish any of the "adult" books I had going. So I grabbed this first book in Thornton W. Burgess's Bedtime Story Books series that I hadn't read yet. No idea if I'm out of my rut yet or not. But I did enjoy this. I grew up with the book about Mr. Mocker as my first chapter book, and I've been working to collect all in the series. This one has moral stories about stealing and teasing others that would still be relevant even today.

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

So what if these books were something that inspired a generation of Americans to learn about and respect nature - the effect didn't exactly last more than a few years. What's more, this example is so pathetically repetitive and patronising to the young audience, and features no female characters whatsoever, so I fail to see its being reprinted as at all justified. No, Sir.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of books by Thornton W. Burgess have been a delight for my children and I to read. I think the ages and timing of this is pretty perfect for them, and they are begging to read the entire series. I love them too. Nothing is sweeter to my ears than hearing my children say, "Please Mom, just one more chapter!" :)

[Stacy Oates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

We have really enjoyed these Burgess books on animals. They are great living books which describe the character of the animals and give life lessons and common sense for children (and adults too).

[Julie Bump · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this as a read aloud. We love the proverbs, lessons through story that help my kids learn how to have wisdom. It also has rich language and is very captivating for them, they always ask for one more chapter! Chapters are short, a few pictures.

[NuNu · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Stephanie Thoen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think every family should read these books as bedtime stories. They are so sweet and perfect.

[Annica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audiobook wasn’t that great to listen too, I think this is one of those books I’d enjoy more as a read aloud to my kids.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of several Thornton W. Burgess books that I remember my dad reading to me and my sister when we were little. Loved them. Later read it on my own.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun adventure from Thornton Burgess. H continues to delight in this series of books.

[Zozza Alkateeb]

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