Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Nature Awareness and Thornton W. Burgess

The many nature books by Thornton W. Burgess which were enjoyed by our parents and grandparents still have great environmental relevance today.

The stories are about mammals, birds, frogs etc., and they are characters who have names, feelings, personalities, and talk like human beings. There would be much more caring about nature if the young people today were taught to think of nature's creatures as being just like them.

Attributing human qualities to animals is called "anthropomorphism" but, whatever you choose to call it, it is something which can have great educational benefit. It can also encourage imagination and sensitivity which go beyond nature.

Even adults, who tend to have trouble getting to sleep at night after listening to all the violence on the news, could benefit by choosing instead to read about the adventures of Peter Rabbit, Sammy Jay and Reddy Fox just before bed.

The public libraries still have many books by Thornton W. Burgess, and you or your children can benefit greatly from the peaceful aura they create.

No comments: