When little Reddy Fox gets too big for his breeches and steals a plump pet hen in broad daylight, the stage is set for an exciting tale as Farmer Brown\'s boy pursues Reddy with loaded gun and Bowser the Hound. Fortunately, Reddy has wise Granny Fox on his side and, with some timely help from other woodland friends, manages to avoid an unhappy ending.As this timeless fable unfolds, children will delight in Reddy\'s risky antics and the commotion his behavior causes among Johnny Chuck, Drummer the Woodpecker, Peter Rabbit, and the other inhabitants of the Green Forest. Thornton W. Burgess, author of Old Mother West Wind and many other children\'s classics, was a master at telling a good story that holds a child\'s attention while instilling an important lesson in the most painless and enjoyable fashion. First published in 1913, The Adventures of Reddy Fox was one of his finest efforts. In this inexpensive Dover edition, newly reset in large, easy-to-read type, it will delight children (and adults) today, just as it did their grandparents.

A plump little meadow mouse is always an inviting target for hungry hunters in the Green Meadows. This certainly should give Danny Meadow Mouse enough cause for concern; but lately, he\'s been worrying about something else — his short tail! In fact, he wants so much to have a different tail that he almost forgets to take care of the one he has.Danny spends much of his time avoiding the likes of Hooty the Owl, who drifts effortlessly above him in the open air; Reddy Fox and old Granny Fox, who stalk him as he races through snow tunnels; Mr. Blacksnake, who silently slithers after him through the grass; and other pesky predators.Youngsters will enjoy reading and listening to the adventures of the plucky vole and his friends as they explore Farmer Brown\'s orchard, the Old Briar-patch, and the enchanting world of the Green Forest. The text has been completely reset in large, easy-to-read type and Thea Kliros has adapted six black-and-white illustrations from the originals by Harrison Cady.

Old Mr. Toad was acting strangely, and his behavior puzzled all the creatures of the Green Meadow. You see, he was in a hurry, and Old Mr. Toad NEVER hurried unless he was in danger. Where on earth could he be off to? To find out, Jimmy Skunk, Peter Cottontail, Unc\' Billy Possum, and some other animals of the Green Forest secretly follow the old gentleman through the fields and woods as he makes his way to a very important engagement.Young readers will enjoy discovering Old Mr. Toad\'s destination in this delightful tale by master storyteller, Thornton W. Burgess. Set in the timeless fictional locale of the Green Forest and the Smiling Pool, this book transports today\'s youngsters to the same world of gentle breezes and lovable creatures that has delighted generations of children before then. There, they\'ll enjoy the warmth and whimsy of this tale while learning important lessons about nature, the environment, and the "lesser folk of fur and feathers."

Author and editor of numerous children\'s books, Thornton W. Burgess was also a noted conservationist. In writing for youngsters he combined a gift for storytelling with his love of the outdoors, creating an entertaining menagerie of animals whose adventures he skillfully recounted in a series of charming fables. In them, he taught young readers about nature and encouraged them to love the "lesser folk in fur and feathers."In this delightfully told tale, Burgess chronicles the escapades of Chatterer the Red Squirrel, who\'s known throughout the Green Forest as a mischief maker. Narrowly escaping the clutches of Shadow the Weasel and Redtail the Hawk, the bushy-tailed little fellow decides to leave the forest for a new home, only to learn that curiosity, carelessness, and mistrust can lead to a heap of troubles.First published in 1915, this engaging story will charm readers of all ages — as well as young listeners.

PETER RABBIT PLANS A JOKE The Imp of Mischief, woe is me,Is always busy as a bee. That is why so many people are forever getting into trouble. He won\'t keep still. No, Sir, he won\'t keep still unless he is made to. Once let him get started there is no knowing where he will stop. Peter Rabbit had just seen Jimmy Skunk disappear inside an old barrel, lying on its side at the top of the hill, and at once the Imp of Mischief began to whisper to Peter. Of course Peter shouldn\'t have listened. Certainly not. But he did. You know Peter dearly loves a joke when it is on some one else. He sat right where he was and watched to see if Jimmy would come out of the barrel. Jimmy didn\'t come out, and after a little Peter stole over to the barrel and peeped inside. There was Jimmy Skunk curled up for a nap. Peter tiptoed away very softly. All the time the Imp of Mischief was whispering to him that this was a splendid chance to play a joke on Jimmy. You know it is very easy to play a joke on any one who is asleep. Peter doesn\'t often have a chance to play a joke on Jimmy Skunk. It isn\'t a very safe thing to do, not if Jimmy is awake. No one knows that better than Peter. He sat down some distance from the barrel but where he could keep an eye on it. Then he went into a brown study, which is one way of saying that he thought very hard. He wanted to play a joke on Jimmy, but like most jokers he didn\'t want the joke to come back on himself. In fact, he felt that it would be a great deal better for him if Jimmy shouldn\'t know that he had anything to do with the joke. As he sat there in a brown study, he happened to glance over on the Green Meadows and there he saw something red. He looked very hard, and in a minute he saw that it was Reddy Fox. Right away, Peter\'s nimble wits began to plan how he could use Reddy Fox to play a joke on Jimmy. All in a flash an idea came to him, an idea that made him laugh right out. You see, the Imp of Mischief was very, very busy whispering to Peter. "If Reddy were only up here, I believe I could do it, and it would be a joke on Reddy as well as on Jimmy," thought Peter, and laughed right out again. "What are you laughing at?" asked a voice. It was the voice of Sammy Jay. Right away a plan for getting Reddy up there flashed into Peter\'s head. He would get Sammy angry, and that would make Sammy scream. Reddy would be sure to come up there to see what Sammy Jay was making such a fuss about. Sammy, you know, is very quick-tempered. No one knows this better than Peter. So instead of replying politely to Sammy, as he should have done, Peter spoke crossly: "Fly away, Sammy, fly away! It is no business of yours what I am laughing at," said he. Right away Sammy\'s quick temper flared up. He began to call Peter names, and Peter answered back. This angered Sammy still more, and as he always screams when he is angry, he was soon making such a racket that Reddy Fox down on the Green Meadows couldn\'t help but hear it. Peter saw him lift his head to listen. In a few minutes he began to trot that way....

One of the most beloved characters in children\'s literature, Peter Cottontail is up to his long-whiskered nose in rib-tickling escapades in this delightful classic. With gentle charm and humor, famed storyteller Thornton W. Burgess draws young readers into the timeless world of the Green Forest, the Smiling Pool and the Purple Mountains.Warmth and whimsy are the order of the day as Peter discovers the folly of changing his name, outwits the ever-hungry Reddy Fox, manages a number of hare\'s-breadth escapes and finally makes an ill-advised decision to hibernate-as Johnny Chuck and other woodland creatures do. The silliness of trying to do what nature never intended is one of the gentle morals of these adventures that combine the fun of a good story with little lessons about wildlife, the environment and being true to one\'s self.Newly reset in large easy-to-read type, this unabridged childhood classic will delight young readers today just as it did their parents and grandparents.

Something is definitely wrong with Peter Rabbit . . . he has no appetite! Deciding he is terribly lonely, Peter sets off to visit some friends in the Old Pasture but instead finds himself narrowly escaping the clutches of Hooty Owl, experiencing a nasty encounter with Jed Thumper (a big gray rabbit) and eventually staring right into the soft, gentle eyes of Miss Fuzzytail. Before you know it, Peter has a new bride!Children will love sharing the adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Rabbit as they start a new ― and often precarious ― life together in the Dear Old Briar-Patch. As they enjoy the story, youngsters absorb gentle lessons about nature, wildlife, and simple human virtues. Eight charming new illustrations, based on the originals by Harrison Cady, enhance this delightful tale, newly reprinted in large, easy-to-read type.

Spring has arrived at the Green Meadow and Johnny Chuck is strangely discontent. On a whim, he offers Jimmy Skunk his house and then wanders off. Along the way, he gets into a fight with a strange woodchuck and, after a bruising battle, chases the intruder off. At that point, Johnny is feeling rather unconquerable — that is, until Polly Chuck uses her feminine charms to capture his heart. Before long, the two are happily keeping house in a burrow in the old orchard.Thornton W. Burgess, the author of many delightful classics for children, draws young readers into a timeless world of woodland creatures, teaching children important lessons about nature by basing the animals\' actions and adventures on actual wildlife behavior. Six charming illustrations by Thea Kliros, based on Harrison Cady originals, enhance a story sure to delight young animal and nature lovers.

PADDY THE BEAVER BEGINS WORK Work, work all the night While the stars are shining bright; Work, work all the day; I have got no time to play. HIS little rhyme Paddy the Beaver made up as he toiled at building the dam which was to make the pond he so much desired deep in the Green Forest. Of course it wasn\'t quite true, that about working all night and all day. Nobody could do that, you know, and keep it up. Everybody has to rest and sleep. Yes, and everybody has to play a little to be at their best. So it wasn\'t quite true that Paddy worked all day after working all night. But it was true that Paddy had no time to play. He had too much to do. He had had his playtime during the long summer, and now he had to get ready for the long cold winter. Now of all the little workers in the Green Forest, on the Green Meadows, and in the Smiling Pool, none can compare with Paddy the Beaver, not even his cousin, Jerry Muskrat. Happy Jack Squirrel and Striped Chipmunk store up food for the long cold months when rough Brother North Wind and Jack Frost rule, and Jerry Muskrat builds a fine house wherein to keep warm and comfortable, but all this is as nothing to the work of Paddy the Beaver. As I said before, Paddy had had a long playtime through the summer. He had wandered up and down the Laughing Brook. He had followed it way up to the place where it started. And all the time he had been studying and studying to make sure that he wanted to stay in the Green Forest. In the first place, he had to be sure that there was plenty of the kind of food that he likes. Then he had to be equally sure that he could make a pond near where this particular food grew. Last of all, he had to satisfy himself that if he did make a pond and build a home, he would be reasonably safe in it. And all these things he had done in his playtime. Now he was ready to go to work, and when Paddy begins work, he sticks to it until it is finished. He says that is the only way to succeed, and you know and I know that he is right. Now Paddy the Beaver can see at night just as Reddy Fox and Peter Rabbit and Bobby Coon can, and he likes the night best, because he feels safest then. But he can see in the daytime too, and when he feels that he is perfectly safe and no one is watching, he works then too. Of course the first thing to do was to build a dam across the Laughing Brook to make the pond he so much needed. He chose a low open place deep in the Green Forest, around the edge of which grew many young aspen-trees, the bark of which is his favorite food. Through the middle of this open place flowed the Laughing Brook. At the lower edge was just the place for a dam. It would not have to be very long, and when it was finished and the water was stopped in the Laughing Brook, it would just have to flow over the low open place and make a pond there. Paddy\'s eyes twinkled when he first saw it. It was right then that he made up his mind to stay in the Green Forest. So now that he was ready to begin his dam he went up the Laughing Brook to a place where alders and willows grew, and there he began work; that work was the cutting of a great number of trees by means of his big front teeth which were given him for just this purpose....

"Listen," whispered Jimmy Skunk to Peter Rabbit as the strange howling sound echoed through the Green Forest. But Peter was listening. He had never heard anything like it. The sound made cold chills run up and down his backbone. What could it be?Children will love finding out as Peter Rabbit, Jimmy Skunk, Prickly Porky, Granny Fox, Reddy Fox, and other dwellers in the Green Forest react to a new — and scary — neighbor. All ends happily, of course, in this timeless fable by noted storyteller Thornton W. Burgess.Reprinted in large, easy-to-read type and enhanced with six new illustrations, based on the Harrison Cady originals, this book combines the fun of a good story with gentle lessons about nature, wildlife, and proper behavior.

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

CHAPTER I: Jerry Muskrat Has A Fright What was it Mother Muskrat had said about Farmer Brown\'s boy and his traps? Jerry Muskrat sat on the edge of the Big Rock and kicked his heels while he tried to remember. The fact is, Jerry had not half heeded. He had been thinking of other things. Besides, it seemed to him that Mother Muskrat was altogether foolish about a great many things. "Pooh!" said Jerry, throwing out his chest, "I guess I can take care of myself without being tied to my mother\'s apron strings! What if Farmer Brown\'s boy is setting traps around the Smiling Pool? I guess he can\'t fool your Uncle Jerry. He isn\'t so smart as he thinks he is; I can fool him any day." Jerry chuckled. He was thinking of how he had once fooled Farmer Brown\'s boy into thinking a big trout was on his hook. Slowly Jerry slid into the Smiling Pool and swam over towards his favorite log. Peter Rabbit stuck his head over the edge of the bank. "Hi, Jerry," he shouted, "last night I saw Farmer Brown\'s boy coming over this way with a lot of traps. Better watch out!" "Go chase yourself, Peter Rabbit. I guess I can look out for myself," replied Jerry, just a little crossly. Peter made a wry face and started for the sweet clover patch. Hardly was he out of sight when Billy Mink and Bobby Coon came down the Laughing Brook together. They seemed very much excited. When they saw Jerry Muskrat, they beckoned for him to come over where they were, and when he got there, they both talked at once, and it was all about Farmer Brown\'s boy and his traps. "You\'d better watch out, Jerry," warned Billy Mink, who is a great traveler and has had wide experience. "Oh, I guess I\'m able to take care of myself," said Jerry airily, and once more started for his favorite log. And what do you suppose he was thinking about as he swam along? He was wishing that he knew what a trap looked like, for despite his boasting he didn\'t even know what he was to look out for. As he drew near his favorite log, something tickled his nose. He stopped swimming to sniff and sniff. My, how good it did smell! And it seemed to come right straight from the old log. Jerry began to swim as fast as he could. In a few minutes he scrambled out on the old log. Then Jerry rubbed his eyes three times to be sure that he saw aright. There were luscious pieces of carrot lying right in front of him. Now there is nothing that Jerry Muskrat likes better than carrot. So he didn\'t stop to wonder how it got there. He just reached out for the nearest piece and ate it. Then he reached for the next piece and ate it. Then he did a funny little dance just for joy. When he was quite out of breath, he sat down to rest. Snap! Something had Jerry Muskrat by the tail! Jerry squealed with fright and pain. Oh, how it did hurt! He twisted and turned, but he was held fast and could not see what had him. Then he pulled and pulled, until it seemed as if his tail would pull off. But it didn\'t. So he kept pulling, and pretty soon the thing let go so suddenly that Jerry tumbled head first into the water....

Introduction To those who have read the preceding volumes in this series, The Boy Scouts of Woodcraft Camp The Boy Scouts on Swift River and The Boy Scouts on Lost Trail some of the characters in the present volume will be familiar. To me they are old friends in whose struggles and adventures I have taken the keenest personal interest.(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don\'t occur in the book.)About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.Forgotten Books\' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text. Read books online for free at www.forgottenbooks.org --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Trouble always seems to find Bobby Coon. Hunted by Farmer Brown\'s Boy, treed by Buster Bear, chased by Prickly Porky the porcupine...what\'s a poor raccoon to do?

Children will love this wonderful tale of Blacky the Crow, who has very sharp eyes, and who is often getting into trouble because he sees things he shouldn\'t. One day Blacky notices two fresh eggs in a nest belonging to Hooty the Owl and Mrs. Hooty. The eggs are a prize too delicious to pass up and Blacky devises a plan to snatch them. But does he succeed? Young readers will enjoy finding out in this charming tale by master storyteller Thornton W. Burgess.Reset in large, easy-to-read type, this book is filled with gentle humor and important lessons about nature and wildlife, and is further enhanced by four original Harrison Cady illustrations. Blacky the Crow is sure to captivate youngsters discovering the joy of reading and the pleasures of storytelling at its finest.