The Adventures of Peter Cottontail

The Bedtime Story Books

by Thornton W. Burgess

The Adventures of Peter Cottontail is a story about famous Peter Rabbit who, unhappy at his plain-sounding name, briefly changes his name to Peter Cottontail because he felt it made him sound more important. He began putting on airs to live up to his important-sounding name, but after much teasing from his friends, he soon returns to his original name. The book includes many of Peter's friends such as Jimmy Skunk, Reddy Fox, Johnny Chuck, Happy Jack, and Unc' Billy Possum.

Genres: Childrens, Classics, Fiction, Animals, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Picture Books

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1914

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

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars & 4/10 hearts. This strikes me as a particularly funny Burgess book somehow. Particularly the incident with the hat! I expect it’s because I tend to find Peter humorous at any time. XP I read it aloud to my siblings and they all highly enjoyed it. Peter’s & Reddy’s escapades were enjoyable and funny, although they did remind us somewhat of The Adventures of Reddy Fox. Sammy Jay & Blacky the Crow did bug me in this book because they kept siding with Reddy against Peter…

Content: A couple mentions of old Mother Nature. 

A Favourite Quote: “‘There's nothing in a name except
Just what we choose to make it.
It lies with us and no one else
How other folks shall take it.
It's what we do and what we say
And how we live each passing day
That makes it big or makes it small
Or even worse than none at all.
A name just stands for what we are;
It's what we choose to make it.
And that's the way and only way
That other folks will take it.’”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “The thought made Peter so indignant that he forgot that he was hiding, and he sat up on his hind legs. Of course, he lifted the straw hat with him. Then he remembered and sat down again in a hurry. Of course, the straw hat went down quite as quickly.”

[Jon E · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part was when Reddy Fox was giving Bobby Coon his plan. His plan was Reddy Fox was going to be behind a log and Bobby Coon would be showing him it. His plan was to catch Peter Cottontail. Reddy Fox missed and then Peter Cottontail skipped to something like clover.

[Lis - The Indigo Quill · Rating 4 out of 5]

See full review @ The Indigo Quill

A special thank you to NetGalley and Dover Publications for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This new edition of Thorton W. Burgess' beloved tales is an unabridged republication of three books: The Adventures of Reddy Fox, The Adventures of Peter Cottontail, and The Adventures of Grandfather Frog. Originally published by Little, Brown, and Company in 1913-1915, these stories that have followed us through generations have been resurrected in a fresh compilation that you can read consecutively to your child or young class for maximum readability.

Thorton W. Burgess was born native of Massachusetts and began writing children's books in 1910. Ever since he was young, Burgess had a deep appreciation for nature and the endless possibilities it offered. This is reflected in his work and is shared across generations. He brought both children and adults to nature through an array of stories, especially his most famous character, Peter Rabbit. His legacy and philosophies live on through the Thorton W. Burgess Society, who operates the Green Briar Nature Center, Thorton W. Burgess Museum in Sandwich, MA, and inspires environmental education through several other mediums. I would highly suggest checking it out.

The Adventures of Peter Cottontail and His Green Forest Friends is the perfect book for any child's library. They will be entertained by the human-like critters and their many adventures. Any child will enjoy the many escapes into nature and the lives of Burgess' forest friends. The stories and chapters are short for the active reader, and there are plenty of pictures to help them visualize the stories and keep their attention.

One thing I love about this edition is that it includes all the original illustrations from Harrison Cady. They are very simple and clear so they are very easy on the young eye. There is also a list of the illustrations after the contents, so if you want to simply refer to the images, you have the opportunity to do that.

I would definitely recommend this as a staple piece to any children's library. If I were to change one thing about it, I would say that it would be beneficial to add some kind of educational tool like questions about the characters or nature at the end. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book!

[Chyina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've seen movies and tv shows about Peter Cottontail, but admittedly, never read the books. Despite being an adult reading a children's book, I enjoyed the tales. They made me smile and even made me want to read more about the critters in this book. These are wonderful little stories that I think any child could enjoy and most adults would like for a quick light read.

[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.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reread this as part of a Family Reading Adventure: Reread a favorite childhood book.

I enjoyed it very much and the world of the Green Meadows that Thornton W. Burgess wrote about. It also brought back memories of reading his books to my children.

Peter Cottontail is always on the look out for Reddy Fox - Peter doesn't want to become dinner for Reddy's old Granny Fox. The Merry Little Breezes are busy speading the news of the animals lives.

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: The Adventures of Peter Cottontail and His Green Forest Friends
Author: Thornton W Burgess
Publisher: Dover Publications
Published: 2-20-2014
Pages: 370
Genre: Children's Fictions
Sub-Genre: Classics; Animals
ISBN: 9780486492094
ASIN: B00IZLYHA0
Reviewed For NetGalley and Dover Publications
Reviewer: DelAnne
Rating: 5 Stars


This deluxe edition presents three of the most popular books by a beloved storyteller. Thornton W. Burgess's timeless tales of woodland whimsy recount the exploits of Reddy Fox, Peter Cottontail, and Grandfather Frog. Featuring the original art by Harrison Cady, the stories offer young readers examples of friendship, honesty, forgiveness, and other virtues.

Ilustrations that we knew as children ourselves along with the original text. We can now share this classic with our children and grandchildren. A favorite fable from our own childhood to carry on to generations to come.




My rating of "The Adventures of Peter Cottontail and His Green Forest Friends" is 5 out of 5 stars.



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[Joshua Southard · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mom recently gave me a 50lb box of books from our childhood reading days. I am going to read them to the kids in an attempt to brainwash them into loving reading like I do. We started with Peter Cottontail. The chapters are short so I have been reading one or two at meal times. Peter Rabbit spends most of the book hippity-hopping around the Green Meadow looking for food and trying not to be food for Reddy Fox. The other animals in the Meadow come in and out of his adventures and usually get a good laugh at Peter or Reddy’s expense. Some of the adventures have a moral aspect; some are just for fun. The next book in the series is The Adventures of Johnny Chuck.

[Jennifer Ritchie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This vintage children’s story is well-written and entertaining, and I enjoyed the charming illustrations. But I can’t really recommend it, since the stories center so much around the mischief and malice of the animals toward each other. Peter’s “friends” are the epitome of the saying, “With friends like that, who needs enemies?” In my opinion, good children’s literature is that which causes the reader to contemplate and appreciate goodness and truth. Not much goodness or truth here.

[Amy Ingalls · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for Thornton Burgess-- My children went to Green Meadows and Thorton T. Burgess schools. When I was a child, my dad rescued an injured hawk and an abandoned racoon kit, both of whom were taken in by the Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary. I can really picture the green meadow and green woods that these animals lived in. A great local author, and I love the illustrations.

[Candis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Just one more chapter mommy! Pleeease!" begged my kids every single time I started to close the book. My children adore Thornton Burgess' writing. I could read his tales out loud to my kids over and over again, and I don't think they would ever grow weary of listening to Peter's adventures.

[L.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get that Burgess’ series has merit in teaching kids about the habits of animals, but I’ve just never really enjoyed reading their escapades or even something similar like “Wind in the Willows.” No complaints about the quality of the writing though.

[Loralee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute, the kids liked it a lot.

[Boyschool · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet book!

Just adore all the books in this series of stories about the animals that live in the green meadows and the green forest.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our favorite adventures yet! Great read aloud for our 4 and 5 year old boys. The chapters are short and have lots of fun adventures that also teach good lessons!

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've read this one with each of my kids in their school when they were little. I was surprised they wanted to re-read it again after our last Burgess book, but it is still a good one.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this old time tales written over a century ago. So creative and country.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love reading aloud Burgess' books. This is an author my son really loves.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a few of these books, which are a happy childhood memory. There are several stories in this little volume. You will find a lesson in each.They definitely qualify as bedtime stories.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to read to kids for bedtime. Lots of fun characters.

[Hannah Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The children and I loved reading this book together. It is beautifully written and introduces nature through story telling.

[Hà Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

FUNNY!!! GOOD FOR CHILDREN READ WHEN THEY STRESS

[Amber Capotosto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always loved this book. It was one of my favorites as a child. At age 37 listened to it on audio, just because.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love reading these books. They are such a joy.

[Joleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reminder to be appreciative.

[StephenPaul ChaseJr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books about Easter, LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sue Goad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading Thornton Burgess books as a child. So much fun to read them again!

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute and quick read. I actually read it for a summer reading program.

[Alice Churchill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me hooked on Thornton W Burgess. Listening to all his audiobooks with my son

[Luanne Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a nostalgic mood last night. So now I’m collecting and rereading these from my childhood. Cozy reading for some autumn evenings. 🍁🍁