Thornton W. Burgess (1874–1965) wrote thousands of animal stories for children, starting with the 1910 publication of
Old Mother West Wind. Burgess’ tales convey his fascination with wildlife and his concern for nature, teaching gentle lessons about ecology and respect for the environment.
British author and artist Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated many children's books in the late nineteenth century. She is best known for her enchanting tales and endearing drawings of woodland creatures in human clothes, most notably Peter Rabbit. Her stories are simple and direct; it was important to Potter to not "write down" to the young listener or reader. Her beloved classic stories remain popular throughout the world today.
Potter was born on July 28, 1866, in Kensington, London, to a wealthy Victorian family. She was educated by governesses who encouraged her to write and who taught her art and music. When she was twenty-seven, she drew a picture and wrote a story for a sick friend about four little rabbits. Nine years later, the now-classic story "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" was published, and it became an overnight success.
Potter's literary work diminished after 1918 because her eyesight deteriorated. She devoted her last thirty years to raising Herdwick sheep and investing in real estate. Potter was the first president of the Herdwick Sheepbreeders' Association, which still exists today. Potter died on December 22, 1943, in Lancashire. She bequeathed fourteen farms, including Hill Top Farm, the setting of several of her books, and 4,000 acres to the British National Trust.
Margery Williams Bianco (1881–1944) was an English-American author of popular children’s books. She became a professional writer at the age of nineteen, but didn’t achieve lasting fame until forty-one, when she published her best-known work, The Velveteen Rabbit, in 1922.
George Zarr is an award-winning audio dramatist currently based in Chicago. He is the producer, writer, director, and composer of the Hans Christian Andersen musical The Bell, the four-part comedy Hurry! Hurry! It’s Almost Christmas, the mystery collection Dark of the Moon Inn, and the Western comedy musical serial Hoofbeats in My Heart, all four available from Blackstone Publishing.
Noelle Dupuis is an accomplished voice actor and audiobook narrator based in Ontario, Canada. For Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre, she has read children’s classic stories, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Beatrix Potter Collection, Thumbelina, The Wild Swans, The Princess Collection, and The Hans Christian Andersen Collection, to name a few. Blackstone Publishing distributes all these titles. Noelle teaches drama and music at her local Elementary School when she isn’t narrating audiobooks.