James Herriot's Treasury for Children

Well that's a lovely collection.

James Harriot (pen name for James Alfred Wight) was rural veterinarian in the middle of the 20th century in rural England. Once he turned 50 his wife encouraged him to follow his dreams and actually write a book, so he took his lifetime of experiences and stories and ... started writing about football. Which didn't work out. Eventually, he turned back to what he knew best with stories of the life and times of a country vet.

The stories are simple and uplifting and a perfect bedtime book. But even if you don't have kids to read to/with, you could probably do worse. They're cute books and (in the version I read) wonderfully illustrated.

Well worth it. ( )

A gorgeous collection of Herriot's children's stories. The stories are nostalgic without being overly sentimental, and the language is simple enough for a child to understand but sophisticated enough to expand vocabularies. Brown's and Barrett's illustrations are sublime, with the Yorkshire Dales rendered in lush greens and animals so soft looking you'd think you could reach out and pet them. ( )

Animal stories/nonfiction (on audio). I didn't particularly care for the narrator's voice right off the bat, but stuck it out through a few stories and he does a fair job, particularly with the voices of the old farmers. The stories were just meh for me--pretty much your standard Herriot fare (so if you like his stuff, you'll do fine). Keep in mind, though, if your kids are going to be listening to this, you may need to explain some things about the birthing/nursing processes (since those occur frequently enough in country vet stories). ( )

Another trip down memory lane complete! We never had a full set of James Herriott's illustrated books for children, but the stories of Moses the kitten, Bonnie the clydesdale, and the sheepdog with only one wood will always be special. ( )

Herriot