Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match

In Short

Francis C. Woodworth's Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match is an illustrated nineteenth-century collection of narrative anecdotes showcasing the intelligence, loyalty, and peculiar habits of various quadrupeds. Ranging from domestic pets like cats and dogs to wild beasts such as wolves, lions, and monkeys, the text combines entertaining folklore with natural history. It traces how animals navigate human companionships, survive predators, and display surprising emotional capacities. The work has endured as a charming artifact of period children's literature that treats the animal kingdom with genuine wonder and moral gravity.

The Story

The book opens with a collection of remarkable tales demonstrating canine fidelity and cleverness. In Lambeth, England, a poor pedler is led by his dog to a buried pot of gold on a small plot of land, which he later bequeaths to the parish on the condition that a painted window commemorate his faithful companion. Nearby on Dublin's river, a Newfoundland dog leaps into the water to rescue a falling child, restoring the boy to a frantic father who unsuccessfully offers five hundred guineas to purchase the hero. On the Thames, a boatman leaps from Westminster Bridge to win a wager, only for his devoted dog to plunge in after him and drag him ashore to safety.

Moving beyond domestic hounds, the narrative examines the complex nature of wild and predatory beasts. Wolves, often demonized in popular folklore, demonstrate deep attachment when a captive wolf in a London menagerie recognizes his former keeper's voice after three years of absence, leaping upon his shoulders and falling desperately ill when the man departs. In the Polar seas, white wolves employ clever hunting tactics by surrounding deer on high cliffs and driving them over the precipice. Woodworth reflects on his own boyhood fears, recalling how a domestic servant terrorized him with tall tales of giant wolves waiting to devour disobedient children, and urges young readers to dismiss such baseless frights.

As the journey through the animal kingdom continues, the focus shifts to working beasts and exotic wildlife. Alexander the Great's legendary war-horse, Bucephalus, bows on his forelegs to be mounted and mourns so deeply that an entire city is built over his grave. In contrast, a local postman's odd mare named Nancy walks sideways like a crab and repeatedly slips her bridle to pursue her passionate love for practical botany. In distant lands, Captain Marryatt faces a harrowing ordeal in an African cane swamp when lost in the mud alongside a stalking panther, while a Hottentot hides among birds' nests in an aloe-tree to escape a crouching lion. Other encounters reveal unexpected allies, as a sailor chops down a tree to help a lioness reclaim her cubs from a baboon, and Hans Christian Andersen's story of a wandering tame bear ends with three young children happily playing soldiers with the animal inside a public house.

The book culminates in intimate observations of smaller creatures and beasts of burden. Field mice carefully organize subterranean storerooms by grain type, only to watch helplessly as rooting pigs devour their hard-earned winter stores. A clever cat in Massachusetts secretly carries her three kittens four miles back to her old home during the night, while another feline in Scotland creates a ghost scare by jumping across piano keys in the dark. In South America, the proud lama refuses to endure ill treatment or beatings; when pushed too far, it simply lies down, looks toward heaven, sheds large tears, and dies of a broken heart.

How It Unfolds

Loyal dogs and hidden treasures A pedler discovers a pot of gold after following his digging dog, using his fortune to purchase land that he leaves to a local parish under the condition that a window depict them together. Meanwhile, a Newfoundland dog saves a drowning child in Dublin, reuniting him with his father, and a boatman's dog ruins a wager by dragging his jumping master safely out of the Thames.

Wild instincts and childhood terrors A caged wolf in London nearly dies of grief after a brief reunion with his long-lost keeper, while arctic wolves use strategic pack maneuvers to drive deer off steep cliffs. Woodworth recalls how frightening nursemaid stories gave him a lifelong dread of the dark, reassuring children that such monstrous tales are entirely fabricated.

Noble steeds and botanical mares Alexander the Great honors his faithful war-horse Bucephalus with a solemn burial and a namesake city after years of military victories. In a lighter vein, Uncle Peter's eccentric pacing mare Nancy frequently delays the delivery of the weekly newspaper to wander off and nibble on roadside flowers.

Jungle perils and surprising mercy A captain gets hopelessly lost in a muddy African cane swamp with night falling and a panther closing in on his path. Elsewhere, a sailor uses his axe to fell a tree and save two lion cubs from a baboon, earning the lasting gratitude and affectionate caresses of a wild lioness.

Playful invaders and industrious gatherers A tame bear strays into an inn and happily dances and plays soldiers with three young children armed with a toy drum and guns. Below ground, field mice methodically store acorns and corn in separate rooms, only to have their autumn harvests rudely gobbled up by roaming farm pigs.

Midnight ghosts and noble lamas A mysterious late-night musician terrorizing a Scottish household turns out to be a gray cat walking across the piano keys. High in the Andes, gentle lamas carry heavy loads across steep mountain passes, refusing all force and choosing to lie down and weep to death if mistreated.

The People

The Lambeth Pedler A once-impoverished wanderer who gains immense wealth when he trusts his dog's persistent digging and unearths a buried pot of gold. Wanting to honor the animal that changed his fate, he buys the land and devises a land trust that benefits a local parish for centuries.

Captain Marryatt An adventurous seaman who finds himself stranded in a dense African cane swamp while trying to signal his ship for help. Overcome by fatigue, mud, and closing darkness, his survival instinct is tested when he comes face-to-face with a prowling panther.

Uncle Peter and Nancy A punctual yet slow-moving newspaper courier and his uniquely gait-challenged mare. Nancy moves diagonally like a crab and frequently escapes her bridle to wander off into fields, driven by an unquenchable urge to inspect local flowers.

The Scottish Family A household of terrified women near Aberdeen who believe their home is haunted by a midnight musician. Their terror gives way to relief when morning light reveals the ghost is simply their family cat dancing across the open piano keys.

The South American Lama A proud, gentle beast of burden that works willingly alongside human guides without losing its dignity. It refuses to be driven by beatings or threats, choosing to lie down and shed tears rather than submit to cruel treatment.

In Its Own Voice

"With a part of this gold he purchased the lot of ground on which it had been discovered, and bequeathed it to the parish on the conditions mentioned above."

This tradition explains how a humble pedler and his observant dog came to be permanently immortalized in a church window.

"There is not a word of truth in them."

Woodworth reassures his young readers after describing the terrifying wolf fables told to him in his youth by a household servant.

"If it happens--which is very seldom--that an Indian wishes to obtain, either by force or threats, what the lama will not willingly perform, the instant the animal finds himself affronted by word or gesture, he raises his head with dignity, or, without attempting to escape ill treatment by flight, he lies down, his looks turned toward heaven; large tears flow from his beautiful eyes; and frequently, in less than an hour, he dies."

This observation highlights the deep sensitivity and quiet resistance of the South American beast of burden.

What It's Really About

Beneath its entertaining anecdotes, the book argues that animals possess rich emotional lives, high intelligence, and distinct moral capacities. Woodworth challenges the period's Cartesian view of animals as unfeeling automatons, presenting them instead as creatures capable of deep gratitude, grief, strategic reasoning, and humor. The collection also acts as a gentle critique of human cruelty and superstition. By replacing fear-inducing folklore with observed animal behavior, the author encourages young readers to replace foolish terror with empathy and respect. Ultimately, the work asks how human behavior changes when we recognize that beasts experience loyalty, pain, and dignity just as humans do.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers will find Stories about Animals a charming window into nineteenth-century natural history and moral education. It offers a warm, conversational reading experience that feels like sitting beside a well-traveled, gentle mentor who loves a good yarn. The prose is clean, direct, and delightfully lighthearted, balancing dramatic wilderness encounters with humorous local character sketches.

While the text is accessible, modern audiences should be prepared for period sensibilities. The author casually references blood sports, animal confinement in circuses or menageries, and starkly naturalistic scenes where predators consume prey or pigs plunder mouse burrows. Furthermore, stories set in foreign lands reflect mid-nineteenth-century colonial perspectives and framing. Yet despite these historical markers, the book's core ethic—that kindness toward animals is a requirement of a civilized heart—remains thoroughly attractive. It will appeal to lovers of historic children's literature, folklore enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys discovering how previous generations understood the non-human world.