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The Bedtime Story Books
The Adventures of Poor Mrs. Quack
One day, Peter Rabbit happens upon a surprise visitor to the Smiling Pool. It's Mrs. Quack the Duck, who is dreadfully upset after having narrowly escaped some hunters and their terrible guns. Worst of all, she has lost Mr. Quack, her husband, and doesn't know whether he is alive or dead. Peter, Jerry Muskrat, and the other animals in the Green Forest vow to help Mrs. Quack find a safe place to live and to try and locate Mr. Quack. Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow, two of the sharpest-eyed animals in the Green Forest, are enlisted to help and soon the search is under way.
As children learn about the misfortunes of Mrs. Quack and the problems faced by migrating ducks, they will develop new respect for wildlife and a deeper understanding of real animals and their struggle to survive. Best of all, the lessons are incorporated into a good story, told with the warmth and charm that have made Thornton W. Burgess stories favorites with children for generations. Completely reset in large, easy-to-read type, the text is enhanced by six full-page illustrations based on Harrison Cady's originals.
As children learn about the misfortunes of Mrs. Quack and the problems faced by migrating ducks, they will develop new respect for wildlife and a deeper understanding of real animals and their struggle to survive. Best of all, the lessons are incorporated into a good story, told with the warmth and charm that have made Thornton W. Burgess stories favorites with children for generations. Completely reset in large, easy-to-read type, the text is enhanced by six full-page illustrations based on Harrison Cady's originals.
96 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1917
19 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Thornton W. Burgess
824 books203 followersThornton 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.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 16, 2020
3 stars & 3/10 hearts. This is a good, interesting book, which certainly tends to make one sympathetic towards the poor ducks. One mention of Mother Nature.
A Favourite Quote: “And yet without knowing it, Peter WAS helping Mrs. Quack. He was giving her his sympathy, and sympathy often helps others a great deal more than we even guess. It sometimes is a very good plan to tell your troubles to some one who will listen with sympathy. It was so with Mrs. Quack. She had kept her troubles locked in her own heart so long that it did her good to pour them all out to Peter.”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “Farmer Brown’s boy had heard Welcome Robin singing in the Old Orchard, ... and that song ... had awakened quite as much gladness in his heart as it had in Peter’s heart. It meant that Mistress Spring really had arrived, and that over in the Green Forest and down on the Green Meadows there would soon be shy blue, and just as shy white violets to look for, and other flowers almost if not quite as sweet and lovely.... It meant that soon there would be a million lovely things to see and a million joyous sounds to hear.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘Even the smartest people will make mistakes sometimes, you know.’
“Peter Rabbit nodded. ‘I know,’ said he. ‘I’ve made them myself.’ And then he wondered why Jerry Muskrat laughed right out.”
A Favourite Quote: “And yet without knowing it, Peter WAS helping Mrs. Quack. He was giving her his sympathy, and sympathy often helps others a great deal more than we even guess. It sometimes is a very good plan to tell your troubles to some one who will listen with sympathy. It was so with Mrs. Quack. She had kept her troubles locked in her own heart so long that it did her good to pour them all out to Peter.”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “Farmer Brown’s boy had heard Welcome Robin singing in the Old Orchard, ... and that song ... had awakened quite as much gladness in his heart as it had in Peter’s heart. It meant that Mistress Spring really had arrived, and that over in the Green Forest and down on the Green Meadows there would soon be shy blue, and just as shy white violets to look for, and other flowers almost if not quite as sweet and lovely.... It meant that soon there would be a million lovely things to see and a million joyous sounds to hear.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘Even the smartest people will make mistakes sometimes, you know.’
“Peter Rabbit nodded. ‘I know,’ said he. ‘I’ve made them myself.’ And then he wondered why Jerry Muskrat laughed right out.”
January 31, 2019
I figured I probably wouldn't like this one and yep, it was worse than I feared on the anti-hunter/human stance. It is also too vivid for the young age range his books are aimed for. So, should have skipped this one, but it does have a nice ending.
March 16, 2023
Overview: Mrs. Quack is a newcomer to the Smiling Pool. While there, she regales Peter Rabbit and Jerry Muskrat with her harrowing tale, filled with hunters. Afterwards they find that she has a few problems. Where can Mrs. Quack live safely? What happened to Mr. Quack. Will they ever be reunited? Let's find out.
Dislikes: My only problem is the characterization of the hunters. Most hunters eat their kills. Trophy hunting is a rather recent phenomenon. When you have a limited amount of time for hunting wild game, you get what you can, then preserve it for latter enjoyment.
Likes: There are good messages about marriage and friendships in this book. Peter and Jerry were willing to help Mrs. Quack, even at the risk to themselves.
Conclusion: This was a rather fun story. Enjoy it with your little forest friends.
Dislikes: My only problem is the characterization of the hunters. Most hunters eat their kills. Trophy hunting is a rather recent phenomenon. When you have a limited amount of time for hunting wild game, you get what you can, then preserve it for latter enjoyment.
Likes: There are good messages about marriage and friendships in this book. Peter and Jerry were willing to help Mrs. Quack, even at the risk to themselves.
Conclusion: This was a rather fun story. Enjoy it with your little forest friends.
June 27, 2025
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 Poor Mrs. Quack" is a fine example of the ouvre 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.
November 21, 2021
Finally got back to this one. Had some good parts parts about self-control etc. there was just so much about the guns and hunters that it didn’t feel as appropriate for young ones as I had hoped (and remembered from my own childhood).
July 12, 2019
I liked it on the chapter where Mrs Quack tells Peter Rabbit her worries, and I think it was Chapter 5.
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January 14, 2021Reading these books to my 6 year old son, and he loves them and they all have a morale to them. Highly recommended for bedtime stories.
March 29, 2021
Not really interested enough to read the other books to find out, but when did Farmer Brown’s Boy become a friend? Love that Sammy is still being not-a-jerk.
July 15, 2021
The least entertaining of Thornton's books that we've yet read. While interesting and informative it's more glum due to poor Mrs. Quack's situation as the title of the book suggests.
March 17, 2017
This was a Waldorf suggestion, but didn't go over well with my 7-year-old. While a realistic enough story line, it's a depressing tale. Ends well enough, but too somber for a happy-go-lucky child.
January 31, 2011
The Burgess Books
This is a phrase that brings a smile to my face as often as I hear it. As a young child, I would lose myself for hours in the simple world of the wood and pond inhabited by Little Joe Otter, Buster Bear, Grandfather Frog, and terrorized by Farmer Brown's Boy. I can remember the very shelf, even the exact spot in the little library in Felton, CA where these books were kept. I would return practically every week with a new armload to last me until our next trip to the library. Often I would carry out stories that I read several times before, just so I could once again escape into this imaginary world of furry mischief.
I remember these books well in concept, though the specifics of most of the stories elude me. It was easily fifteen years ago when I began reading them and has been over a decade since I last picked up one of Burguess' stories to read it. That being said, this review is being written as a look back.
These stories are very simple and very fun. Of course, they are children's literature, so that's to be expected, but these stories strike me as especially so. Even still, I can remember some fascinating things I gleaned between the their covers.
For one thing, Burgess did a fantastic job of presenting the ideas of persepective and motivation in simplistic terms. For example, "The Adventures of Danny Field Mouse" would cast Old Man Coyote as a vicious, mean creature wishing to prey on Danny and his friends and family. Yet, pick up instead "The Adventures of Old Man Coyote" and you'll see that when the story is told with him as the protagonist, those pesky field mice are annoying and useful for little more than a snack. After reading both books, you're no more inclined to think of Old Man Coyote as a villian than you are to think of Danny Field Mouse as a pest that should be exterminated. (Note: This is a generic example. I do not recall if Old Man Coyote plays a role in Danny Field Mouse's story or the other way around, but this concept was presented several times. It made an impression on me.)
The only characters consistantly presented as antagonists were Farmer Brown and his boy. This would be one of the only things that I chalk up as odd, or maybe just a little "off" in these books. Humans and their influence on nature are presented as a negative influence on nature and animals - always. It's interesting to note though that while humans are seen as a negative, humanity is lauded and held up as virtuous. All of the animals take on not only human personalities but characteristics, traits, and mannerisms. From a frog with a monocle and an otter with a handkerchief tied to a stick, to a busy-body Jay and a reclusive owl who desires only to be left alone, humanity and it's traits keep cropping up.
Which would be another thing of value I feel that I saw in the Burgess books. These stories are full of social interaction and personality conflicts, even if they are charicatured more often than not. We see over and over again a working out of peace, if not harmony, between conflicting personalities. It may not always be easy to point out a scripture to reinforce the lesson implied, but social harmony is presented and more often than not, resolution is through reconciliation, forgiveness, or a similar method that is not only laudable, but distinctly Christian in action if not motivation.
All in all, the world created by Thornton W. Burgess is imaginative, innocent, fun, and educational. My reccomendation? Grab a handful from your local library, gather a group of kids as an excuse, and lose yourselves in childhood imaginations as you read aloud the stories that have captivated several generations of young readers with the antics of our furry, albiet elusively human, friends.
(Disclaimers: As I said, it has been over a decade since I actually read one of Burgess' books. As such, there may be a specific example that's a little off in this review or something that I would have noticed as an adult that my childhood memories are missing. Also, all of these books say I read them in 1998. While I'm certain I read several of them that year, I'm sure I read some before and after that date as well.)
This is a phrase that brings a smile to my face as often as I hear it. As a young child, I would lose myself for hours in the simple world of the wood and pond inhabited by Little Joe Otter, Buster Bear, Grandfather Frog, and terrorized by Farmer Brown's Boy. I can remember the very shelf, even the exact spot in the little library in Felton, CA where these books were kept. I would return practically every week with a new armload to last me until our next trip to the library. Often I would carry out stories that I read several times before, just so I could once again escape into this imaginary world of furry mischief.
I remember these books well in concept, though the specifics of most of the stories elude me. It was easily fifteen years ago when I began reading them and has been over a decade since I last picked up one of Burguess' stories to read it. That being said, this review is being written as a look back.
These stories are very simple and very fun. Of course, they are children's literature, so that's to be expected, but these stories strike me as especially so. Even still, I can remember some fascinating things I gleaned between the their covers.
For one thing, Burgess did a fantastic job of presenting the ideas of persepective and motivation in simplistic terms. For example, "The Adventures of Danny Field Mouse" would cast Old Man Coyote as a vicious, mean creature wishing to prey on Danny and his friends and family. Yet, pick up instead "The Adventures of Old Man Coyote" and you'll see that when the story is told with him as the protagonist, those pesky field mice are annoying and useful for little more than a snack. After reading both books, you're no more inclined to think of Old Man Coyote as a villian than you are to think of Danny Field Mouse as a pest that should be exterminated. (Note: This is a generic example. I do not recall if Old Man Coyote plays a role in Danny Field Mouse's story or the other way around, but this concept was presented several times. It made an impression on me.)
The only characters consistantly presented as antagonists were Farmer Brown and his boy. This would be one of the only things that I chalk up as odd, or maybe just a little "off" in these books. Humans and their influence on nature are presented as a negative influence on nature and animals - always. It's interesting to note though that while humans are seen as a negative, humanity is lauded and held up as virtuous. All of the animals take on not only human personalities but characteristics, traits, and mannerisms. From a frog with a monocle and an otter with a handkerchief tied to a stick, to a busy-body Jay and a reclusive owl who desires only to be left alone, humanity and it's traits keep cropping up.
Which would be another thing of value I feel that I saw in the Burgess books. These stories are full of social interaction and personality conflicts, even if they are charicatured more often than not. We see over and over again a working out of peace, if not harmony, between conflicting personalities. It may not always be easy to point out a scripture to reinforce the lesson implied, but social harmony is presented and more often than not, resolution is through reconciliation, forgiveness, or a similar method that is not only laudable, but distinctly Christian in action if not motivation.
All in all, the world created by Thornton W. Burgess is imaginative, innocent, fun, and educational. My reccomendation? Grab a handful from your local library, gather a group of kids as an excuse, and lose yourselves in childhood imaginations as you read aloud the stories that have captivated several generations of young readers with the antics of our furry, albiet elusively human, friends.
(Disclaimers: As I said, it has been over a decade since I actually read one of Burgess' books. As such, there may be a specific example that's a little off in this review or something that I would have noticed as an adult that my childhood memories are missing. Also, all of these books say I read them in 1998. While I'm certain I read several of them that year, I'm sure I read some before and after that date as well.)
February 7, 2024
I absolutely loved this 16th book from the Bedtime Story-books collection. There is some stellar writing of educational material by Burgess. He communicated the migratory patterns of ducks in a comprehensive and didactic way that was not pedantic, but illuminating. He delivers the pathos of Mrs. Quack's situation in a suspenseful, and hopeful way. The illustrations by Harrison Cady have never been better. As a cohesive piece, this has to be one of the better books.
The story is about a potential new addition to the Green Meadow, Green Forest, Laughing Pool area. Mrs. Quack has landed because she is bereft and afraid. Mr. Quack was shot at by hunters with guns. He must have been hit because he dropped from the sky. She could not return for him due to the many hunters. She is too intimidated to continue in her migration and is considering staying near the Laughing Pool, but she's worried that the other denizens would seek to harm her.
Here, we see Farmer Brown's son in a very favorable light. We had seen inklings in other novels, but in this book, he really finds himself as a character and a conservationist. The arcs of some of the supporting characters are moved along here as well, demonstrating a clear affection between the author and his characters.
Just a couple chapter initiating quotes: "It often happens when we know, The troubles that our friends pass through, Our own seem very small indeed; You'll always find that this is true."
"There's nothing like a stomach full, To make the heart feel light; To chase away the clouds of care, And make the world seem bright."
The story is about a potential new addition to the Green Meadow, Green Forest, Laughing Pool area. Mrs. Quack has landed because she is bereft and afraid. Mr. Quack was shot at by hunters with guns. He must have been hit because he dropped from the sky. She could not return for him due to the many hunters. She is too intimidated to continue in her migration and is considering staying near the Laughing Pool, but she's worried that the other denizens would seek to harm her.
Here, we see Farmer Brown's son in a very favorable light. We had seen inklings in other novels, but in this book, he really finds himself as a character and a conservationist. The arcs of some of the supporting characters are moved along here as well, demonstrating a clear affection between the author and his characters.
Just a couple chapter initiating quotes: "It often happens when we know, The troubles that our friends pass through, Our own seem very small indeed; You'll always find that this is true."
"There's nothing like a stomach full, To make the heart feel light; To chase away the clouds of care, And make the world seem bright."
July 23, 2023
This book felt a bit repetitive. Anti guns and hunting. Of course you are hoping that they find Mr Quack. The last bit felt very reminiscent of Trumpet of the Swan and I wonder if EB White had been inspired by this story. My favorite quote went something like this: "She decided that if they couldn't have a house where they wanted, that they should have a house where they could."
*Librivox audiobook listened to on youtube.
*Librivox audiobook listened to on youtube.
September 5, 2011
My personal favorite.
January 11, 2013
Cute children's book.
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July 31, 2016Probably approx. 900 to 1050L
June 26, 2014
My mom used to read this to my sister and I when we were very little. I don't really remember it well and should read it again! I just remember a character called honker the goose...
October 22, 2015
I liked it. I would rate it 4 1/2 - maybe a little closer to 5.
January 25, 2024
i must have read this book as a child , as I had 'drawn' illustrations on the inside covers , but had forgotten this wonderful tale of resourceful creatures thwarting evil hunters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 4, 2014x2
March 29, 2017
i liked it
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews