| Title | : | The Adventures of Peter Cottontail |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1633222926 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781633222922 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Flexibound |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1914 |
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail recounts the hijinks of one of the most endearing and beloved creatures in children's literature. Full of mischief (and then remorse), Peter has exploits that are delightfully recognizable to anyone who has children and will surely tickle yet another generation of young readers.
Peter Cottontail's efforts to outwit the ever-hungry Reddy Fox lead to a number of whisker-thin escapes, and his fascination with the hibernation of some of his neighbors, such as Johnny Chuck, leads to his decision to hibernate . . . with riotous consequences.
This reprint of the classic that was originally published in 1914 presents Burgess' classic style of telling a terrific tale while imparting information about the environment and its creatures.
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail Reviews
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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.” -
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.
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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! -
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.
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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.
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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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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.
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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.
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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.
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"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.
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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.
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Very cute, the kids liked it a lot.
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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. -
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!
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I love this old time tales written over a century ago. So creative and country.
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We love reading aloud Burgess' books. This is an author my son really loves.
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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.
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A great book to read to kids for bedtime. Lots of fun characters.
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Love reading these books. They are such a joy.
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This was a cute and quick read. I actually read it for a summer reading program.
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Animal peeps just keeps dead naming Peter Cottontail (Peter ___). They'd have be skinned alive if Old Farmer Biden's doj ever caught 'em. By the wayside, P.C. was originally their own sister Cotton-tail.
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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.) -
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail written by Thornton W. Burgess and illustrated by Harrison Cady is one of the classic Bedtime Story Books collection that I read as a kid, and have kept on my Kindle for close to 10 years. It has come time to declutter. I therefore read this children's story in furtherance of that end.
Peter Rabbit has decided to change his last name in order to feel more important. The first half of this book is dedicated to teaching the lesson that a name does not in itself equate to value and a better name does not necessarily mean greater value. The second half of the book runs more like a Bugs Bunny cartoon, but instead of Elmer Fudd, Peter is trying to avoid Reddy Fox, Grandma Fox, and Shadow the Weasel. Peter's friends include Jimmy Skunk, Happy Jack Squirrel, Prickly Porky the Porcupine, Billy Possum, Jerry Muskrat, and Johnny Chuck the Woodchuck. They help each other run interference against the enemies. Sammy Jay and Blackey the Crow are a little more neutral in that they seem to side with Reddy Fox, but laugh when Peter escapes via some silly gimmick.
There is a lot of humor in this book, and the illustrations are the originals. They are gorgeous pencil and ink work with just wonderful shading. I not only read these stories as a child, but I read them to my own children. This is my #35 of 50 for my Over 5 Yrs TBR reading goal for 2023. Highly recommended for young children.
