Old Granny Fox

Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo), 1874-1965Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 119K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Old Granny Fox by Thornton W. BurgessAuthor: Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo), 1874-1965,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 1, 2004

Editor's review

Burgess was a renowned early twentieth-century American writer of nature stories, and this book continues his approach of featuring animals as protagonists while weaving natural habits into the narrative. Old Granny Fox makes a living in the forest with her grandchildren, coping with hunters and natural enemies while teaching the young foxes the skills they need to survive. The book's strength lies in depicting animal behavior with natural logic while giving the characters distinct personalities and dialogue, so that children absorb practical knowledge of the wild naturally as they listen. The narrative is built from relatively independent short episodes, making it suitable for bedtime reading aloud or for segment-by-segment classroom storytelling. The descriptions of hunting and escape carry a certain tension, but the overall tone is gentle, and the ending is not deliberately cruel. For parents who want their children to feel close to nature without exposing them too early to heavy content, this is a useful transitional read.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Lower- to middle-primary school children who enjoy animal stories and can handle mildly tense plots.
Parents or teachers looking for nature-themed stories suitable for reading aloud at bedtime.
Readers interested in animal habits who want to encounter natural knowledge in story form.
Learners at the beginning stage of reading English originals, since the paragraphs are short and dialogue is plentiful.

Not a good fit for

Young children who are sensitive to scenes of animals hunting or escaping.
Readers expecting a long, continuous plot or complex character relationships.
Readers seeking rigorous popular-science knowledge rather than a storified narrative.

Reading tips

Proceed episode by episode, reading one or two segments at a time, then talk with your child about what methods Old Granny Fox used to solve the problem.
When you reach descriptions of animal habits, you can use everyday observations or simple diagrams to aid understanding; there is no need to memorize them as a science textbook.
For reading aloud in English, imitate the different characters' tones; the dialogue sections are good material for practicing intonation.
After reading, have the child retell the episode that impressed them most, to check comprehension and encourage expression.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Are the animal stories in the book scientifically grounded?

Burgess observed nature over many years, and the animal behavior in the stories is largely based on real habits, though anthropomorphic dialogue and inner thoughts are added for vivid storytelling. Read it as a story with natural knowledge woven in, not as a strict popular-science book.

What age is this book suitable for?

Generally suitable for lower- to middle-primary school children who can already follow longer stories. The book involves hunting and escape scenes; if a child is sensitive to animals being hurt or dangerous situations, parents are advised to look through it first or read along with them.

Is the English original difficult to read?

The sentences are mostly short, dialogue makes up a large proportion, and the vocabulary centers on the forest and everyday actions, making it suitable for the beginning stage of English reading. Individual animal names and old-fashioned expressions can be skipped without affecting comprehension of the main thread.

Is this book suitable for classroom use?

Yes. The paragraphs are short and the plot is clear, so it can be used for segment-by-segment reading aloud, character dialogue practice, or retelling exercises. Teachers can also use the stories to prompt simple discussion about animal habits and the natural environment.

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About the author

Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo), 1874-1965 Author

Thornton W. Burgess (1874–1965) was an American children's author known for his animal stories and nature-themed books. The collection holds 40 of his works, including The Burgess Bird Book for Children, The Burgess Animal Book for Children, Mother West Wind's Children, Old Mother West Wind, and adventure stories featuring such characters as Jimmy Skunk, Unc' Billy Possum, Johnny Chuck, and Buster Bear. His writing centers on animals of the forest and field, using personified characters and light plots to introduce children to natural history, combining storytelling with an educational purpose. Public information is limited, and biographical details are not available in the collection, but these works show that he blended animal habits with children's interests in simple language suited to reading aloud, and that he had some influence on later nature books for children.