In 1908-1909, Mary Blair Beebe and her husband, C. William Beebe made two private expeditions to Venezuela and British Guiana, exploring and collecting live birds for the New York Zoological Park. They then collaborated on a book about their "search for a wilderness," with Mary Blair doing the bulk of the writing. The Beebe's supplemented tropical birding with visits to gold mines in British Guiana and a lake of pitch, which was being mined in the middle of the Venezuelan jungle. Mary Blair's take on things is evident...

This 1905 collection is of the author’s short animal stories, some previously published in magazines. - Summary by David Wales

Deputy Sheriff Tug Blackstock wanted a dog to help with his work. As for Jim, at first glance he might almost have been taken for a slim, young black bear rather than a dog. They were a pair, indeed, to strike the most stolid imagination, let alone the sensitive, brooding, watchful imagination of the backwoods. Plus three other stories. - Summary by Story text and David Wales

Action and adventure short stories of men and animals in the wild. - Summary by David Wales

The Squirrel family lived half-way up a tall tree in their cozy little home, lined with soft, dried leaves and white, fluffy cotton. Slicko and her siblings are getting jumping lessons today from Mr. Squirrel. Slicko meets a new friend and goes on an adventure which gets her into a bit of trouble. What will happen to poor Slicko?

Drawing on childhood days spent at his grandparents' New England farm, the author tells of a community of animals who gather around the old trysting tree, led by Nimrod, the old crow, with Cock-Robin, Bob the Rabbit, squirrels Frisk and Frolic, and many others. Stories of bright summer days and the camaraderie of friends are mixed with tales of danger and fear as the little foresters live out their lives in the woods.

This 1915 novella was published as the First World War raged. "Belgium lies bleeding. Across her level, lush meadows the harsh-shod hosts of war have marched. Beside her peaceful waters the sons of God have spilled each other’s blood. Beneath her noble trees have raged the fires of human hate. Her king and his brave warriors have fought to save that which was their own and, driven back, have left their smiling land to suffer the desolation which has ever been the conqueror’s boast. Her ancient cities smoke...

This 1916 book is a collection of sixteen of the author's dog stories previously published in magazines.

A Book of Whales is a natural history of whales for the layman. - Summary by A. Gramour

The fifth of the Series of First Books of Natural History, embraces that branch of our subject which treats of the Mollusca, or soft animals, and consequently, includes the Elements of Conchology. In the beauty and singularity of their forms, the variety and brilliancy of their colors, shells only yield to flowers…. Limited as this little volume is, it may prove a key to stores of information, even more interesting to many than the numerous fictions of the day. “Truth is stranger than fiction,” has been often said; and the beautiful truths brought to us by a study of animal life, in its various forms, are certainly more admirable and wonderful than any fiction of man’s creation...

A fox aspires to reach his 1000th birthday safely and be rewarded with nine golden tails in this wise and charming fairytale.

Sanni Metelerkamp was a South African playwright and author born in 1867. She is well known for her biography of her great-grandfather, George Rex, the British born entrepreneur who founded the town of Knysna and was rumoured to have been an illegitimate son of King George III. Possibly her greatest legacy however is the publication of a collection of folk tales which in her own words "… are the common property of every country child in South Africa." By the time she published "Outa Karel’s Stories: South African Folk-Lore Tales" in 1914, South Africa had come through a time of great turmoil...

Lucy and Dora are so excited to learn they will be sleeping in a tent at the beach! Then Mother and Uncle Dan tell them that their kitten, Timmy is not invited, and Father says he might even run away. Arrangements must be made for Timmy... but will he agree to their plans? This charming story follows two sisters over the course of about a year and the things that they do with their family. The Chinese kitten is a part of an old chess set that the girls get from their aunt because one of the girls lost her necklace during a camping trip. Lots of working on needle point, washing dishes, going to school, and different holidays and what they do during them.

This collection of stories about dogs and the people they own was published in 1918. The story proceeds leisurely with much information about different breeds of dogs. The author obviously likes both boys and dogs.

The story of Billy Bunny and his friends and their adventures together.

In this second volume of the Twilight Animal series, we'll find out what happens to our friends Bumper, Fuzzy Wuzz, Goggle Eyes, and all the rest, after the events in the first book of the series, "Bumper the White Rabbit".

Arthur Scott Bailey, a native of the state of Vermont, wrote over forty children's books using a variety of animals, birds and even insects to entertain. The Tale of Reddy Woodpecker is one of 16 stories of his Tuck-Me-In Tales series. - Summary by Larry Wilson

From the Introduction: "Nature stories, legends, and poems appeal to the young reader’s interest in various ways. Some of them suggest or reveal certain facts which stimulate a spirit of investigation and attract the child’s attention to the beauty and mystery of the world. Others serve an excellent purpose by quickening his sense of humour." This is a charming collection of stories, legends, and poems about autumn harvest, Halloween, and Thanksgiving translated from the Danish, French, German, and others...

In this fourth book of the Twilight Animal series, we find 16 stories of Bumper the white rabbit and the adventures he has with his friends in the forest.

Prior to the emergence of paleontology and comparative anatomy as scientific disciplines at the end of the 18th century, it was generally known that there were species of animals that had disappeared completely. The term "extinction" originally applied to the extinguishing of fires or erasing of one's debt. It was not until 1784 that the term extinction was used to denote the complete eradication of a species of living being. In 1901, Frederic A. Lucas penned an overview of vertebrate animals whose only evidence of being remained in fossil records. The book focuses primarily on vertebrate animals, from fish to mammals. - Summary by Jeffery Smith

"Birds and Nature" was a monthly publication of the Nature Study Publishing Company of Chicago. It includes short poems, anecdotes and factual descriptions of birds, animals and other natural subjects with accompanying color plates. The magazine was published from 1897-1907 under the various titles, "Birds," "Birds and all Nature," "Nature and Art" and "Birds and Nature." - Summary by J. M. Smallheer

In the Jungle Books, Kipling tells 9 wonderful and exciting tales about Mowgli, the human baby raised by a pack of wolves in the jungles of India. His exploits and adventures are many and varied especially his dealing with the other animals such as his wolf mother and father and brother wolves, Baloo the wise bear who teaches him the Law of the Jungle, and in his life long battle with Shere-Kahn, the lame human killing tiger. I have enjoyed these stories so much that I decided to take all 9 of...

Tommy Smith is a wicked little boy, who would harm animals for sport. He would catch them if he could, throw stones if he could not, and generally disturb all animals around him. He became such a nuissance to everyone at last that the animals hold a meeting to discuss what to do. The wise owl has an idea: "Let the next animal that he is going to kill or throw stones at, call out to him, and tell him not to do so. This will surprise him so much that he will be sure to leave off, and then each of us can tell him something about ourselves in turn...

This is the story about Tommy and how he came to better understand the animals around him. Tommy has a favourite stone that he likes to sit upon to think about his day and ponder his troubles. He comes to name this stone the wishing-stone, as it seems to grant his impulsive wishes to become various animals that happen to cross his path while sitting there. Tommy learns first-hand about the exciting life of these animals and gains a new perspective after each exciting adventure. - Summary by SweetHome

Combining beast fable with natural history, this is a highly engaging and informative account of some of the prehistoric mammals that once roamed across North America. Each short story tells us something about a different era of natural history, from the Eocene to the Pleistocene era. Entertaining and easy to understand stories, featuring early ancestors of squirrels, horses, camels, tapirs, elephants, and even manatees, will appeal to people of all ages.

Tarzan's amazing ability to establish kinship with some of the most dangerous animals in the jungle serves him well in this exciting story of his adventures with the Golden Lion, Jad-bal-ja, when the great and lordly animal becomes his ally and protector. Tarzan learns from the High Priestess, La, of a country north of Opar which is held in dread by the Oparians. It is peopled by a strange race of gorilla-men with the intelligence of humans and the strength of gorillas. From time to time they attack Opar, carrying off prisoners for use as slaves in the jewel-studded Temple where they worship a great black-maned lion...

This succinct little textbook from 1844 presents an introduction to herpetology and ichthyology. The information, albeit not current, is still interesting and of use as a general overview of reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Please note that the classification of the animals may have changed since this time, as well as their environmental status. The step back in time to hear the Victorian view of nature makes it a remarkable read in itself. The author was president of the Academy of Natural Sciences. - Summary by A. Gramour

Lucy Perkins has given us many books featuring twins that give a child insight into different cultures and countries. In this one she explaining prehistoric man and his environment: "This is a story about things that happened ages and ages ago, before any of us were born, or our great-great-grandfathers either, for that matter. It was so very long ago that there were no houses, or farms, or roads from one place to another, and there was not a single city, or a town, or even a village in the whole earth...

In this sixth volume of the Twilight Animal series, we read about the adventures of Bobby the Gray Squirrel, who brings joy and happiness to a very special new friend. - Summary by Foon

Everyone who has pets can tell great stories about them. This volume collects 15 stories for children about pets: not only cats and dogs, but lambs, crows, even lions! - Summary by Carolin

Each summer, in the ancient hill town of Siena, Italy, there erupts one of the most extraordinary, exciting, and dangerous horse races in the world— the Palio. So furious is the rivalry that it is often said the Palio is more battle than race, and that "Fate is the Queen of the Palio." This magnificent book is a true story of the Palio —a thrilling, heart-stirring tale of a boy and a beautiful half-Arabian mare who won undying fame. Marguerite Henry tells—as only she can—how the life of Giorgio Terni, a boy of the Maremma marshes, became linked in strange and dramatic fashion with that of the cart horse Gaudenzia, whose Arabian blood brought her into the contest of the Palio...

In the seventh volume of the Twilight Animal series, we meet Buster the Bear, a cub who lives in a cave the woods with his mother. After an encounter with an unfriendly forest animal, he gets lost and captured, and has some marvelous adventures with humans. Will he make it back to the forest, or will he end up somewhere else?