Whitefoot the Woodmouse
by Thornton W. Burgess
An introduction to Whitefoot, who is a very optimistic mouse. Even humans have something to learn from his happy way of life and his various adventures.
Source: Burgess T. W. (1922). Whitefoot the Woodmouse Boston: Little, Brown & Co..
- "Whitefoot Spends a Happy Winter"
- An introduction to Whitefoot, who is a very optimistic mouse. Even humans have something to learn from his happy way of life and his various adventures.
- "Whitefoot Sees Queer Things"
- Whitefoot becomes more familiar with the farmer and his boy and loses his fear of the door to his home being open.
- "Farmer Brown’s Boy Becomes Acquainted"
- Farmer Brown’s boy decides to become friends with Whitefoot and begins to feed him crumbs to get his attention until he is able to gain his trust.
- "Whitefoot Grows Anxious"
- Whitefoot becomes anxious because the wood pile that hides his home is slowly disappearing and he doesn’t understand that Farmer Brown needs the wood to make his syrup and maple sugar.
- "The End of Whitefoot’s Worries"
- Farmer Brown’s boy regains Whitefoot’s trust when he realizes why his little friend is panicking and relocated his quaint home.
- "A Very Careless Jump"
- Whitefoot enjoys his new home and becomes too comfortable as he plays around the sugar-house. He was heedless of a jump and fell into a pail of sap.
- "Whitefoot Gives Up Hope"
- Whitefoot was able to swim through the sap to keep him afloat.
- "The Rescue"
- Whitefoot loses all hope as Farmer Brown’s boy returns and rescues him. Although exhausted and still scared, Whitefoot recovers.
- "Two Timid Persons Meet"
- Whitefoot meets another one of his friends and explains his logic in his tendency to be excruciatingly timid.
- "The White Watchers"
- Jumper the Hare is faced with his biggest enemy, an owl. His strategy is to stay perfectly still so as not to be noticed.
- "Jumper Is in Doubt"
- Jumper continues to keep still in an effort to save his life. However, he remembers Whitefoot and begins to worry because he does not know that Whitefoot has been watching the entire development of events.
- "Whitey the Owl Saves Jumper"
- As Shadow the Weasel heads toward Jumper as he tries to remain still, Whitey the Owl swoops down and proves to be more of a friend than an enemy.
- "Whitefoot Decides Quickly"
- The events of the last few chapters are now retold from Whitefoot’s point of view. He realizes that Shadow could come back after him and get into his hiding places. Whitefoot immediately scampers off, hoping to get a head-start to save himself from Shadow.
- "Shadow’s Return"
- Shadow did exactly as Whitefoot had feared. He lost the trail of Jumper and found Whitefoot’s tunnels under the snow. When he loses the direct trail, he hunts through the tunnels and finds Whitefoot’s nest where he calmly waits for his return.
- "Whitefoot’s Dreadful Journey"
- Whitefoot decides to run away from his tunnels and current home to escape from Shadow. It becomes a very difficult journey because of his constant fear of being attacked by an enemy.
- "Whitefoot Climbs a Tree"
- Whitefoot finally becomes tired despite his fear and is forced to stop for rest. He finds a dead tree and climbs it, looking for a hollow. However, as he climbs the tree, another enemy flies into view.
- "Whitefoot Finds a Hole Just in Time"
- Butcher Bird begins to dodge at Whitefoot and he runs up the tree looking for a hole to hide in. He finds one near the top and narrowly escapes being eaten.
- "An Unpleasant Surprise"
- Whitefoot calms down and then looks around the little hole in the tree. He discovers Timmy the Flying Squirrel in his bed and decides to rest until Timmy wakes up and then find a new home.
- "Whitefoot Finds a Home at Last"
- Whitefoot decides to leave the small hole and search for his own home. As he heads up the tree he finds a storehouse and eats some of the seeds. Timmy wakes up and finds Whitefoot and tells him about his old home in a nearby stub.
- "Whitefoot Makes Himself at Home"
- Whitefoot takes the suggested home and the next morning changes it to suit his tastes. He begins his own collection of food and forgets about the circumstances of his escape.
- "Whitefoot Envies Timmy"
- Whitefoot begins to build up his store-house and decides not to go out in the daytime because it is safer to roam around at night.
- "Timmy Proves to be a True Neighbor"
- Timmy roams around in the evening and sees Hooty the Owl. He stays still until he thinks of Whitefoot and in order to distract the owl, he jumps and flies, saving him.
- "Whitefoot Spends a Dreadful Night"
- Whitefoot hears Hooty’s cries and becomes afraid because the owl is on his roof. However, he knows he is safe and is able to keep calm until Hooty cries again.
- "Whitefoot the Woodmouse Is Unhappy"
- Whitefoot becomes sad and uninterested in the things he once loved, but he can’t figure out why.
- "Whitefoot Finds Out What the Matter Was"
- Whitefoot discovers a drumming sound and figures out that he had been so depressed because he was lonely. He eagerly awaits the presence of the other wood mouse.
- "Love Fills the Heart of Whitefoot"
- After much frustration, he finds the other wood mouse and immediately falls in love with her.
- "Mr. and Mrs. Whitefoot"
- The two mice declare their love for each other and argue which house they would like to live in. They stay at Miss Dainty’s house until Shadow appears and they decide Whitefoot’s would be safer.
- "Mrs. Whitefoot Decides on a Home"
- Mrs. Whitefoot does not like Whitefoot’s house and they begin a search for a new one. Mrs. Whitefoot finds an old nest she likes and Whitefoot does not understand how they are to stay safe.
- "Making Over an Old House"
- Whitefoot and his new spouse begin to build a roof on the nest to make it into a proper home.
- "The Whitefoots Enjoy Their New Home"
- Whitefoot realizes their little home is safer than any other one he has had and is thankful that no predator notices it.
- "Whitefoot is Hurt"
- Mrs. Whitefoot kicks Whitefoot out of their new little home and he is terribly hurt because he does not understand why.
- "The Surprise"
- Mrs. Whitefoot tells Whitefoot to live on his own because there was not enough room in the nest for the two of them and the four babies. He was very surprised and proud of the babies.