Remember your first picture books or listening to tales of animals and insects brought to life by your parents reading to you? Remember those days?

Well, take a stroll down memory lane and create some new ones by visiting these destinations in Massachusetts that celebrate the life of some of America’s most memorable authors of children’s books.

Thornton Burgess - Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, Hampden:

“Quick, look see, there goes Peter Rabbit!” I wonder how many times a parent has echoed that to their child while visiting Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Hampden, just outside Springfield. The sanctuary was once the home of Thornton Waldo Burgess who gave the world the cherished animal characters of Peter Rabbit (not to be confused with Beatrix Potter’s character), Jimmy Skunk, Bobby Raccoon, Spotty the Turtle and a host more of loveable animals and their adventures in settings inspired by this brook and his early years growing up on Cape Cod.

Thornton Burgess was born in Sandwich in 1874 and had a love of conservation and wildlife from an early age living on the Cape. “Old Mother West Wind” was published in 1910 and introduced the main characters he would write about for the next fifty years. He settled permanently to his Hampden house in 1957 and after his death in 1965 it was purchased by the Massachusetts Audubon Society and now you can walk the trails over its 365-acres. Be on the lookout for the types of wildlife and scenery that inspired Burgess to write the stories for which he became so well known. More information on Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary >>>

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art - Amherst, Massachusetts:

What child hasn’t been mesmerized by “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” or the “The Very Quiet Cricket“? Eric Carle endeared himself to generations with his special style of illustrations and his infectious love of nature. Born in 1929, Carle has lived for twenty-five years in Northampton - a town in the Pioneer Valley region of Massachusetts and its here that he helped create a museum dedicated to the art of children’s books - The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. The museum is located in the university town of Amherst and near Hampshire College.

The museum has a revolving gallery celebrating Eric Carle works, but a visit will not only immerse you back to those early childhood days of wide-eyed fascination with the amazing illustrations of Carle’s books, but includes other galleries filled with picture book art from around the world. You can also visit a hands-on Art Studio for creating your own works, an Auditorium for performance, films and lectures, and a library. More details on the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art >>>

Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden - Springfield:

Ask any parent what books both entertained their children and they enjoyed reading the most, and it’s likely that the Dr. Seuss books would appear high on the list. Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904, and though he spent a good part of his life writing out of his La Jolla, California home, he featured much of his early years growing up in the Forest Park region of Springfield in his stories and illustrations. Though he devoted most of his years to writing for children he never had any himself.

Dr. Seuss most beloved books include: “The Cat in the Hat,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and the characters “Thing One and Thing Two,” and of course “Horton the Elephant.” And all these characters are part of the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden developed to commemorate the enormous contribution Theodor Geisel made to improve the literacy of children around the world. The garden and sculpture’s can be found outside the Springfield Library in the heart of the city and make a wonderful walk down memory lane for all ages. More information on the Dr. Seuss Sculpture Gardens >>> http://www.catinthehat.org/memorial.htm

Louisa May Alcott - Orchard House, Concord:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is another one of those required readings at school, and for boys - though the story and writing is undoubtedly great - it’s mostly… torture. But if the novel did not inspire me to seek fame and fortune on the high seas or the jungles of India, visiting the house where it was written brought back memories of childhood friends and a school now a world away and in the case of the school long gone and replaced by a community park.

Orchard House is located in one of New England’s most famous and historic towns - Concord, Massachusetts. The house has changed little since 1868 when Louisa May wrote her most accomplished writing. It’s been said that “a visit to Orchard House is like walking through the book!” The house is open for guided tours only and you should get there early as it has limited capacity. Its open most days 10:00am-4:30pm and you can get more information about directions and tours here.

Herman Melville - Arrowhead, Pittsfield:

Most remembered as the author of Moby Dick, Herman Melville worked on the book from his home in Pittsfield - Arrowhead - where he lived during the years 1850-1863. I’ve included Melville in this collection because most people are introduced to the novel during their school years - I know I was growing up in England, and two of my sons have read the book in class here in Massachusetts.

Folklore has it that Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne (House of Seven Gables) was hiking in a party and got caught in a rainstorm on Monument Mountain. They found shelter in a cave and a long discussion ensued where the plot of Moby Dick was formulated. From Arrowhead you can see Mount Greylock and it was contours of this mountain that inspired the humpback whale that became a central focus of the story.

Melville left the Berkshires after releasing Moby Dick and moved to New York but he found little further literary success. Arrowhead has seen many alterations since Melville lived and wrote there, but a major renovation program has already begun to restore the house to Melville’s period and it remains one of more enchanting house museums to visit in the Berkshires. More details on Arrowhead >>>

These are just a few of the destinations in Massachusetts and for more suggestions and ideas check out our Massachusetts destinations section by clicking here.

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Cliff Calderwood
Editor
New England Travel Online Magazine

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