I’m a sucker for quaint stories from around the turn of the 20th century, and Uncle Wiggily’s Adventures is one of my favorites. First published in 1912 and written by Howard R. Garis, these stories were originally meant to be small nightly read-alouds for young children. Garis introduces us to Uncle Wiggily, a gentle, well-mannered rabbit, and all of his little creature friends and relations. The stories are wholesome and cozy, with just enough adventure to keep young listeners wondering what will happen next. For the longest time, I assumed Garis was English—the stories feel so English in their tone and setting. But I recently learned he was actually American. I think it’s their whimsical, fairy-tale quality that led me to that assumption; they feel closely related to the work of Beatrix Potter. I’ve read that Garis wrote over 18,000 stories for children in his lifetime—an almost unbelievable number. He contributed to a newspaper six days a week for more than 36 years. In many ways,...