3 Reasons to read the Burgess books, according to my kids

“If you love animals, and want to learn more about them, these are the books for you!” That’s the word from my 10-year-old who recommended two books he loves, the Burgess Bird Book and Burgess Animal Book, for the kids out there. It is one of many wonderful reads on Aleteia's 2024 Summer Book List for Kids.

I formally interviewed him, after first pretending to call him on the phone, because “That’s how you always do your other interviews,” he said. 

Maybe you’ve heard of author Thornton Burgess, who at one time was one of the most popular children’s writers in America. A conservationist and naturalist, he made up entertaining stories about animals and birds for his children. These formed the inspiration for nearly 200 books he wrote to teach children about the natural world.

Most kids love animals, so these books are an enjoyable and educational read. But don’t take it from me: Here are three reasons to read the Burgess Bird Book and Burgess Animal Book, according to my kids. 

Conveniently, Burgess’ books are in the public domain, and you can listen to them as audiobooks for free on Librivox or read them online. My kids recommend the audiobooks “because they do funny voices.” While either book stands alone, the Bird Book comes first, and the Animal Book is a sequel.

My 10-year-old was hesitant when I first suggested listening to the Burgess books (my kids listen to audiobooks almost every day during quiet time, car trips, and sometimes at bedtime). Fresh off reading Lord of the Rings and Narnia, he didn’t think these old-fashioned books looked very exciting. 

“I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but then I gave the first two chapters a try,” he said. “It was incredible.”

The story follows a character called Peter Rabbit (not the one of Beatrix Potter fame, although the same name; this is an American rabbit, while hers is British). He learns about the other animals by talking to them and hearing their stories, and the reader learns all kinds of funny and fascinating facts alongside him.

“They can make your kids even better than you, maybe, at animal facts,” said my 10-year-old expert. “They help your kid learn more about nature. And they’re funny. They made me giggle.”

For example, “I learned about marsh rabbits jumping into water, which I actually never knew about.” He also said, “One of the cutest is the pika, which makes hay and stores it in the ground.”

These books sparked great curiosity in my kids about the animals around us. They’ve become very good at identifying birds in our yard, for example, and know a lot more about their behaviors than I do. I love that we can learn about these things together and build shared habits of inquiry and excitement about this incredible world God made. 

Many parents seek out “living books” for their children -- books that are engaging and interesting yet help kids learn. The Burgess Bird Book and Animal Book are prime examples of living books; or as my kids said, “It’s a story but also teaches you.”

If you read these books with your own children, here are a few questions to discuss, courtesy of my kids.