Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories

Old Mother West Wind #5

by Thornton W. Burgess

Grandfather Frog is very old and very wise, and he knows all about the days when the world was young. When he is feeling just right, he dearly loves to tell about those long-ago days. "Chug-a-rum!" said Grandfather Frog. And then he told why Peter Rabbit -- and all rabbits -- cannot bend their wrists. He told a thousand stories, in fact, because that's what Grandfather Frog was meant to do. Stories of Rabbits, Chipmunks, Possums, Foxes -- Grandfather Frog knows the important stuff about everybody who lives around the meadow.

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

108 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1915

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]

My father used to read to my brother and I the Bedtime stories written by Thornton Waldo Burgess. When I purchased my first Kindle device, my oldest taught me how to acquire books with particular emphasis on classic (free) content. The ultimate Burgess library contains 37 children's books and was available for 99 cents. Nostalgia is a powerful motivator, and although the stories are quite dated (Burgess became a published author in 1915) I still mostly enjoyed these books.

Also noteworthy is that in this book, illustrator Harrison Cady began his longtime friendship and partnership with Burgess. Here the illustrations have the added bonus of color. The entire volume is a bibliophile's delight.

The hook that ties the stories together is Grandfather Frog, who seems to understand "Why" certain animals of the Green Forest, Green Meadow, Laughing Brook, and Smiling Pool have specific adaptations. One such example might be found in the first chapter called, Why Striped Chipmunk Is Proud Of His Stripes. It turns out that a Chipmunk ancestor became involved in protecting a Meadow Mouse ancestor and received the stripes via the claws of a bobcat.

Most of the reasons revolve around a Mother Nature intervention and a Grandfather Frog history lesson. Fascinating for me although none of my sons cared too much for Burgess' storytelling style neither for the illustrations by Cady. I, however, loved them. I took off a star because the stories seem to miss the mark with most post-modern audiences.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars & 2/10 hearts. The first time I read this book I thought it was really nice. Now, rereading it, I don’t like it. The stories would be cool, except that it’s all about Old Mother Nature doing things for the animals. Even if you substitute God for Old Mother Nature (not easy to do in some stories) I still personally dislike the idea of God changing animals after He made them. It’s not in the Bible & it’s too much like evolution for me. Besides that, there’s a lot of small hints towards evolution. So if you are okay with all that, you’ll probably like this book. If not, then skip this one. (Not all the books in this series are exactly the same, so you might want to check my reviews for the other books too).

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Peter Rabbit, his curiosity is always getting the better of him as he rushes to the Smiling Pond to ask Grandfather Frog for another story about one of his friends. He always wants to know “why” about on of his friends, such as why Paddy the Beaver has a broad tail. I think as a child I related to Peter’s curiosity and having to develop patience, when I wanted something that wasn’t forthcoming as fast as I would have liked.

[KateMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read-aloud

I used this as a conversation started my a song living within the confines of covid and lockdown. We could bring images to our reading by the computers and talk of words and changes in culture and how the truth of God's creation was the real wisdom for an animal's great design.

[David Westerveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read-aloud for my kids. They enjoyed and so did I. Fun stories imagining why different woodland creatures have the characteristics that they do. Each chapter can work as a standalone story which was great for being able to pick it up at intervals.

[Trout · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories are a prized memory from my childhood. I love this book with all of my heart and the stories have stuck with me my entire life. I will always remember how the brave chipmunk got his stripes!

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Update 3/8/15****

I did love this book as a child and love it even more now that I'm a mother. These are wonderful short stories about various animals and how they came to look the way they do or behave the way they do. We have loved all the stories and especially curious Peter and wise old Grandfather Frog.

I had put this on my kindle and every time we went camping as a family, I would read my children one story each night. We finally finished this book last night. We started when my twins were 10 and my youngest was 5. They still want a story when we camp now that the twins are 14 and my littlest is 10. They were so disappointed that the book had ended but cheered up immediately when they found out there were other Mother West Wind stories. I plan on continuing reading the rest of the stories, but only when we're camping.


I loved this book when I was a child.

[George King · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these in the 1940's--good children series.

[Lenny Husen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful classic for children. Stories with talking animals, morals, very G rated and forgettable.

[Francie Shoemaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it early in my childhood late 40s early 50s

[Kelsey Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating is based on my 8 year old's opinion.