Mother West Wind "Where" Stories

Old Mother West Wind #8

by Thornton W. Burgess

Thornton W. Burgess was a bird-watching, berry-picking student of nature, who took up writing children's stores including those collected in Old Mother West Wind "Where" Stories (1918). He writes about talking animals, but his characters remain true to their real-life counterparts. Each story explains how Old Mother Nature gives special attention to each creature's needs -- where Grandfather Frog got his big mouth, for example, and where Mr. Quack the duck got his webbed feet. Burgess sets his tales "when the world was young," back when Peter Rabbit's "great-great-ever-so-great grandfather" was a young hopper, and Old Mother Nature still had some work to do on basic designs. She sees that a duck needs webbed feet to swim, and a prairie dog needs a burrow designed to keep dry. Burgess's animals are proud of their unique features and abilities, but the real voice of enthusiasm is the author's own, sharing the delights he found in the woods of New England. Typical of the book's charm is the story of where "Dippy the loon got the name of being crazy." The bird is smarter than he looks -- and that's how Dippy always gets the last laugh.

Genres: Classics, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Fantasy, Short Stories

Paperback

First published September 20, 1918

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

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly, I attach great affection to Thornton Burgess's books due to my nostalgia at rereading these stories. My father read these books to my brother and I at bedtime. Although it wasn't an every night occurrence, it happened often enough that we both looked forward to the event. My Dad is in his 80s nowadays, and Marc has passed, so those moments of shared story time seem even more significant.

Here, in the Mother West Wind "Where" Stories, Burgess continues telling nature stories that explain the mythology of certain denizens of the Green Forest, Green Meadow, Laughing Brook, and Smiling Pool. Burgess along with Harrison Cady (his long-time illustrator) tell the stories in creative, sometimes humorous ways to encourage memorization.

Some of the tales are communicated in chapter form with the word "Where" serving as the MacGuffin that ties the tales together. For example, Chapter VIII Where Mr. Quack Got His Webbed Feet, Chapter XI Where Old Mr. Bob-Cat Left His Honor, and Chapter XVI Where Big-Horn Got His Curved Horns.

What generally follows is that Peter Rabbit is curious as to where his neighbors, an animal from the Forest, Meadow, Brook, or Pool acquired a nuance that makes Peter envious, and someone explains to him where it occurred. Each story can basically be broken down to Mother West Wind did it to benefit the species. Because these stories are close to 100 years old, they sometimes feel a little preachy and dated. Hence, 4 and a half stars instead of 5.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 7 (now 8) 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 many are also on Gutenberg's free books site.

Personally I think that these should be re-released with new covers and realistic pictures so kids will read them again. After looking up Amazon, it seems they have been re-released in paperback form.

The books themselves:

Mother West Wind Where Stories: Like Kiplings Stories of how animals got their skins etc, Thornton tells of where Grandfather Frog got his big mouth from, why the loon is called crazy, where prairie dogs build their homes etc.


Lightfoot the Deer: Lightfoot's life as a deer and how hunting season changes his life. Not for those who want their kids to enjoy hunting season.

Morals/Values/lessons: A bad event can bring good with it, hunting for sport (unless it's with a camera) is an unfair practice.

Mother West Wind's Children: The Merry Little Breezes are a curious group. They keep asking Grandfather Frog to tell them stories about why things are the way they are. Grandfather explains to them why Hooty the Owl doesn't come out during the day, why Bobby Coon washes his food, why Striped Chipmunk has pockets in his cheeks.

Morals/ values/ lessons intertwined in the book: Cheaters & thieves don't win, don't tell false tales, industry & hard work are rewarded, laugh at self- don't be a cry baby.


The Dear Old Briar Patch: The story of goings-on in the Briar Patch of Peter Rabbit. Mrs. Peter has babies but doesn't tell Peter. Why not?

Bob White: The story of Bob White (aka quail) and his family as they try to keep hidden from their many predators. One day little bob white is shot by a hunter. What will happen to him after his family flies away from the hunter?

Morals/ values/ lessons intertwined in the book: Cheerfulness, wise planning, keeping secrets, anti-hunting for fun sentiments.

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.

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.

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.



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

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd picked up 3 volumes of the Burgess collection of West Wind stories. This is the third I've read and very happy there are no more after this continuously tedious lot.

Though this volume has a little more in each story, these are still all the same story. Over and over and over again! You'd figure any writer would get bored writing the same tale again and again. Not Burgess. The explanation I read that Burgess' whole idea had been to read rabbit stories to his child which explains why Peter Rabbit remains a central character in every single story, though unneeded.

The writing is OK. How couldn't it be? Most of the stories are repeated many times.

Bottom line: i don't recommend this book. 4 out of 10 points.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars & 2/10 hearts. The first stories gave me hope that this would be a better collection of stories, but it wasn’t. There was maybe one or two stories were changes were purely brought about by the animal (anthropogizing it) but most of them were more or less full of Mother Nature. And I find the idea that the animals must discover if they deserve to live very offensive. Why plant an idea like that in a child’s mind? It only leads to evil. 

[Lawrence Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another time-travel back to my boyhood - what wonderful stories! I gave my own child an almost unlimited book budget and all sorts of books - Jane Austen, Robin Hood, Little House on the Prairies, Tolkien, C. S. Lewis - how is it I neglected the Thornton W. Burgess stories so dear to me in the long-ago?

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading this series to my children, but we only read the books when we are camping. As a result, I am still reading this series to my 24 and 20 year olds. They still look forward to a new story each night. These are fun animal stories explaining why they look, behave, or live how they currently live. I love this series!

[Laura Fan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how cute the stories were. I liked how Mother Nature and Peter Rabbit are in each story but never tell the stories themselves. -age 8

[WSL Library]

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[Ronald S Goings]

I read this entire series when I was a little kid. Rereading it now brings back old memories but I wouldn't say it is great literature