Recommendation: James Herriot's Treasury for Children
I have recently discovered James Herriot, who is apparently very famous, and I have no idea what I have been doing all my life that has prevented me from reading his stories. Every story I’ve read exudes a passion for his work, a romantic view of the English countryside, and a sincere love of life. His collection of children’s stories has inspired me to write my first blog post in over a year, because I figure if I’d never heard of these stories before, there were others who hadn’t either, and that is something that should be corrected as soon as possible.
Blossom the cow, creating quite a scene in Blossom Comes Home
The stories included in Herriot’s treasury were originally published separately between 1969 and 1991, and they are based on his experiences as a veterinary surgeon in the English countryside. Herriot’s dealings with farm stock, household pets, and their owners make for some surprisingly entertaining (and endlessly sweet) stories. The stories are a mix of fiction and non-fiction, but they all share the same reverence and passion for life. Some stories, such as The Christmas Day Kitten, are touching and sweet. Others, like Oscar, Cat-About-Town, are laugh out loud funny. All of them are joyful tributes to Herriot’s love for animals, people, and Yorkshire.
The Christmas Day Kitten is my personal favorite story from the collection. On Herriot’s normal rounds, he checks in on some of his patients—three basset hounds who live in a beautiful house in the country with their doting owner, Mrs. Pickering. While Herriot is doing his routine check-in with the dogs, he notices a cat he has never seen before. When he asks Mrs. Pickering about this new cat of hers, she tells Herriot that this cat is actually a stray who comes into her home once in a while. Mrs. Pickering offers her food and affection, but all this little stray cat wants to do is give herself a little treat—a break from the cold outside—so she sits attentively in front of the Pickering fireplace, soaking in the comfort, until she has had her fill and goes back out into the cold. Despite attempts to take her in, this stray always wants to leave, so Mrs. Pickering lets her go. The story unfolds beautifully after this point, and Herriot’s storytelling for children is at its best in this selection.
Perhaps the weakest story in the collection is Only One Woof, which is about a dog who can’t woof, until a very special day in his life. Even this story has its sweet moments, however, and shouldn’t be skipped over.
Ruth Brown’s illustrations are the perfect companions to Herriot’s stories. They are bright and beautiful, just like his characters. Each page of the treasury features another work of art—reading the book took me at least three times as long as it would have if I were not driven to distraction by her brilliant artwork.
The Christmas Day Kitten
The simplicity of Herriot’s stories is remarkable, especially given all of the love and beauty that radiates from every page. These stories will go over famously with any child, but I personally think the best age for a child to hear these lovely stories for the first time would be at five or six.
James Alfred Wight, 1916-1995
James Herriot (his real name was James Wight) was a veterinary surgeon in Yorkshire from about 1940-1989. He is the author of the bestselling novel, All Creatures Great and Small. Herriot was a prolific writer—he published eight novels for adults, along with eight beautiful children’s stories. He also wrote two books about Yorkshire.
Buy James Herriot’s Treasury for Children here.