James Herriot Novels

 

The books of James Herriot are memoirs of this mans life as a vet in the English countryside during the early 20th century. They are completely FANTASTIC. The way he describes the farmers, their animals and his life in the Yorkshire Dales are just beautiful. I love learning about veterinarian work and how it was done in the early 30's and 40's. His personal stories are great, too.  

He has a variety of books for all ages. His five main works are called: 

• All Creatures Great and Small
• All Things Bright and Beautiful
• All Things Wise and Wonderful
• The Lord God Made Them All
• Every Living Thing

He has books for children and more memoir books (from my research another set of 8 books... not sure if they are the same as the books previously mentioned, but I thought I will tell you what I found in my research 😁I think the five mentioned above are combinations of the 8 books).

I have read some of the children's books and they are just as funny and interesting as the stories he mentions in his main memoirs. I will tell you guys that in the main memoirs he uses the anatomically correct verbiage for the animals when talking about birth, castration, vaccinations, etc. He also use farmer language which sometimes includes swear words. Nothing explicit, just more colorful! So if you have a younger reader, I would start with the children's story books and then as the reader gets older, or you want something good to read before bed, the main memoirs are available. James Herriot's Treasury for Children is a great place to start and this version (hit the link) has some of the most gorgeous illustrations I've seen in a while! 

If you're not in the mood to read, but these books sound interesting start by watching the PBS show called "All Creatures Great and Small". I love watching it with my mom. It has stunning scenery, hilarious characters and great animals!  

I hope you enjoy learning more about James Herriot's life by clicking the links throughout the post! 

Now, go and READ!