Among the Night People

Among the People #5

by Clara Dillingham Pierson, C. Gordon F. (Illustrator)

Stories of animals of the night for young children, relating the activities of raccoons, skunks, moths, foxes, fireflies, and weasels. Since we can't understand animal language, the author depicts the animals talking to each other in English, but she does it so skillfully that you can imagine that they are using their own ways of communicating through voice and gesture.

Genres: Science, Nature, Classics, Childrens, Short Stories, Science Nature

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1902

About the author

Clara Dillingham Pierson (d. 1952) was an early 20th century American children's author. Her most popular works were quasi-naturalistic stories about animals. Her Among the People series of animal story collections, published between 1897 and 1902, placed her among the leading nature-story authors of her day. Like similar animal tales written a few years later by Thornton Burgess, her stories often carried a moral.

Another of her series featured the adventures of the three Miller children who live in a house called Pencroft, named for Pierson's summer home in Omena, Michigan. She built it with her income as a writer.

Reviews

[Camille Hoffmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as some of the other ones, but still a great way to introduce children to different animals. Some of these chapters felt a little long for reading aloud compared to some of her other books.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and informative narratives about different nocturnal animals and insects. My 6 yo son and I loved this book!

[Angie Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still kind of in awe at the way these animal characters are totally true to their animal natures while simultaneously being totally true to human nature... If you like old-fashioned animal stories with little bits of lessons and morals layered in, you should definitely check out this series. :)

Content--some animal violence (not graphic); running away, disrespect, and general misbehavior (corrected); a few animal characters meet unfortunate ends

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been an adventure from beginning to end! So many lovely characters, and more importantly, lessons to be learned! I'd have to say my favorite stories would be The Nigh Moths Party and both of the ones about the Raccoons.

[Jennifer Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapters are a bit longer in this book as opposed to some of the others in the series. Still wonderful but take note if you have younger, antsier listeners

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable nature read aloud with the kids.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dd enjoyed reading this book for science and wants to get more books in this series. Similar to the Burgess Books.

[Caroline Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among the Night People is a cleverly written book for children about wildlife and their nighttime habits. We enjoyed it, but would have appreciated a little more depth and detail.

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of Pierson's nature books are must-reads to get kids interested in the natural world. She really brings animals to life in these books. Such fun!

[Heather]

We haven't read this in a while, and I was reminded of that by one of my sons today. We'll pick it up again when our current book is done.

[Heavenlypeachgarden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable and enchanting. It also teaches about night animals habitats, habits and lives. I adore these creatures.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great children's' book that teaches a lot of great life lessons.