Was Herriot’s generation more peaceful in their hard labor? Happier in their simple pleasures?Ĭommunity is of great importance to Herriot. The lack of technology and slow pace of life is a shock, perhaps a necessary one, to the twenty-first century reader. They enjoy good food, family time, and the occasional treat of an outing to a concert. Both Herriot himself and the farmers he encounters endure back-breaking work, whether birthing cows or forking hay. He describes a now old fashioned way of life based on hard work and simple pleasures. Herriot writes of a different generation and lifestyle. He also loves natural beauty, often describing the breathtaking vistas of the Yorkshire dales with the affection of a lover.Ĭommunity and good old-fashioned virtues praised. His great love for nature surpasses the boundaries of Kingdom Animalia. He embodies a great example of stewardship of creation, often helping animals whose owners have no way to pay for his services. Francis of Assisi, Herriot cares for each animal, great and small, he encounters. This poem really captures the spirit with which Herriot approached creation, always marveling at its wonders and seeing the hand of the Creator. The poem The Creation by Cecil Frances Alexander inspired the titles of Herriot’s books.
“All things Bright and Beautiful, All Creatures Great and Small” Sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, Herriot’s uncanny gift for storytelling makes these books classics I love to recommend to animal lovers young and old. These memoirs take the form of a series of loosely connected stories, mostly anecdotes about the animals and owners he encountered. Drawing on his years of experience as a veterinarian in Yorkshire, Herriot wrote his memoirs beginning with All Creatures Great and Small. James Alfred Wight, better known by his pen name James Herriot, wrote a wonderful series of books for adults, in addition to several collections for children.
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