Thornton Waldo Burgess (1874-1965) was a conservationist and author of children's stories featuring the wildlife of his native state. He was born in Sandwich, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. His first book was Old Mother West Wind (1910). Following its success, he wrote a syndicated daily newspaper column, Bedtime Stories (illustrated by Harrison Cady), which appeared without interruption from 1912 to 1960. His output comprises over 15,000 stories collected in over 170 books. Among his works are: Mother West Wind's Children (1911), The Adventures of Reddy Fox (1913), The Adventures of Johnny Chuck (1913), The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat (1914), The Adventures of Mr. Mocker (1914), The Adventures of Grandfather Frog (1915), Mother West Wind "Why" Stories (1915), The Adventures of Prickly Porky (1916), The Adventures of Paddy Beaver (1917), Mother West Wind "Where" Stories (1918), The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk (1918), Happy Jack (1918), Mrs. Peter Rabbit (1919), The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad (1920), Bowser the Hound (1920), and Blacky the Crow (1922).