V ri ■ c.ifi o;o, State Library Schoc' Urbana, CHILDREN’S BOOKS A DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF ONE HUNDRED BOOKS THAT ARE WORTH OWNING MARY LILIAN ELY - DAYTON PUBLIC LIBRARY JV JWk He ate and drank the precious words, His spirit grew robust; He knew no more that he was poor, Nor that his frame was dust. He danced along the dingy days, And this bequest of wings Was but a book. What liberty A loosened spirit brings! Emily Dickinson CHILDREN’S BOOKS THAT ARE WORTH OWNING A Descriptive List of One Hundred Books with Other Suggestions for a Child’s Own Library MARY LILIAN ELY PUBLISHED BY THE PUBLIC LIBRARY DAYTON, OHIO Foreword HE scope of this brief list is fairly well defined by its title, but the basis of selection needs perhaps a word of explanation. I have included in the list only those books which were a delight to me and my friends in my own childhood and those discovered since, which I have re- gretted to have missed as a child. All of these books I have read or re-read recently, so that my judgment upon them might be fresh. The list is necessarily very incomplete. I have made no attempt to include books dealing wih special interests of any sort since my aim has been only to suggest ma- terial for the foundation of a child’s library upon which the superstructure, determined by his individual tastes and interests, may be built. No doubt some of you will find old favorites missing. I hope you will come and tell me of them. I trust that this list may be the means of bringing many who are interested in children’s books to the library, for we will be glad to meet you, to show you our books and to dis- cuss them with you. MARY ELY Head of the Childrens’ Department, Dayton Public Library CHILDREN’S MAGAZINES 0 ' 13 V* MAGAZINE makes a pleasing addition to a child's home reading material, but it is in no sense a necessity. The habit of doing one's general reading in condensed form and in isolated bits from magazines is largely the outgrowth of the hurry and rush of present- day conditions of life ; but children have more leisure time for reading and, except for a knowledge of current affairs are able, fortunately, to find their satisfaction in books. In view of this fact, one is justified in refusing to have any children's magazine unless he can have the best. Two old favorites, whose worth time and several gen- erations of juvenile readers have tested, are the Youth's Companion and St. Nicholas. The Youth’s Companion is a weekly paper, first issued in 1827, and now published by Perry Mason Co. of Boston. The yearly subscription price is $2.00. Its contents include both long and short stories, popular articles on science, travel and biography, current events and many interesting and amusing anec- dotes. St. Nicholas was established in 1873, and is published monthly by Century Co. It costs $3.00 per year. It is usually conceded to be the best general magazine now published for children. Popular Mechanics is a monthly magazine, published in Chicago. It contains articles and news notes dealing with all sorts of mechanical and scientific matters, in- ventions and discoveries. One section is devoted to shop notes, another to amateur mechanics. There is a descriptive list of interesting patents and finally a page of jokes. This magazine appeals to every active wide- awake boy who is interested in mechanics, and it is de- servedly popular. American Boy is a monthly paper, likewise devoted especially to boys' interests. It is more general in char- acter than Popular Mechanics and contains besides fic- tion, articles on popular science, handicraft, stamp col- 3 lecting, boy scouts, mechanics, electricity and photog- raphy. The fiction published is sometimes of too sensa- tional a character to be wholesome. American Boy can not be recommended so highly and unreservedly as Pop- ular Mechanics. Current Events and the World’s Chronicle are papers published weekly during the school year. They are prin- cipally concerned with the record of current events and are valuable in the school room, where they are found more often than in the home. World's Chronicle costs $1.50 per year, and Current Events costs $.40. ENCYCLOPEDIAS FOR CHILDREN OR the home library, a good general encyclopedia that is not too technical or lengthy in its treat- ment of subjects, will answer practically all the needs both of children and adults. The New International, published by Dodd Mead Co., N. Y., is one of the best of such encyclopedias. The latest edition is in twenty volumes and year books are issued regularly to keep the information up to date. This encyclopedia is sold by subscription only. Price in cloth $85.00. If an encyclopedia for the younger children is desired, the Champlin series will answer the purpose best, per- haps. The series consists of Cyclopedias of Persons and Places, Common Things, Literature and Art, Natural History and Games and Sports. Each volume may be secured separately from the publishers, Henry Holt Co., N. Y., at a cost of $3.00. The articles are very brief and simply written and are fairly satisfactory where an out- line, only of a subject is wanted. A new cyclopedia for children recently issued (1911) is the Book of Knowledge, published by the Grolier So- city, N. Y. It is in twenty-four volumes and costs ap- proximately $40. The work has been divided into the following departments: All Countries, Natural History, Plant Life, Stories and Legends, Familiar Things, Men and Women, Our Own Life, Famous Books, School Les- 4 sons, Poetry and Rhymes, Dominion of Canada, United States, The Earth, Golden Deeds, Book of Wonder, Things to Make and Do. Each volume contains a contri- bution from the editor of each department. The whole arrangement suggests an illustrated maga- zine rather than an encyclopedia, and the books will be used for pleasure reading, probably quite as often as for reference work. The full index in vol. 24 would be more valuable if it referred to volume and page instead of to page number only. Pages are numbered consecutively from the first volume through the last and the difficulty can be overcome in a measure by indicating on the back of each volume the numbers of the pages which it in- cludes. CHILDREN’S BOOKS IN SERIES NE of the most perplexing problems that con- fronts anyone who contemplates buying a library for a child, or who undertakes the direction of a child’s reading, is what to do about the widely advertised series or sets of books for children. These series are to be found in both fiction and non-fiction. As a general rule the books in the fiction sequel series are decidedly below the standard. It often happens that, although the first volume has more than average merit, the fifth or sixth can scarcely be considered fair, and the tenth or twelfth is totally lacking in reason for being, ex- cept as a response to an artificially created popular de- mand. Moreover, in using fiction series there is a very grave danger of allowing a child’s interest to center in the fortunes of one group of characters, to the exclusion of many other natural and normal interests which should be developed. Of non-fiction series there are several types. First there are those which have an underlying subject unity. Such are the “Children’s Hero Series,” “The Little Cou- sin Series,” etc. In all of these the volumes vary greatly in value and it is scarcely ever advisable to buy the whole 5 of a series for any one child. One should select from the titles in a series those that may be expected to appeal to the particular child in mind and then read the books oneself unless they have been recommended by some one whose judgment is reliable. The Children’s Hero Series (Dutton, $.50 per vol.) are small, attractively bound biographies. Most of them are interesting in matter and style and accurate in the facts given. Life Stories for Young People (McClurg, $.60 per vol.) are neither so pleasing in appearance nor so inter- esting in the presentation of their material as the Chil- dren’s Hero Series. All the volumes of the series are translations from the German. Peeps at Many Lands (Macmillan, $.75 per vol.) ; Little Cousin Series (Page, $.60 per vol.) ; The Library of Travel or Little Journey Series (Flanagan, $.50 per vol.) ; and Little Children Everywhere (Little, $.60 per vol.) are some of the best known series describing man- ners and customs and scenes of other lands. Peeps at Many Lands are English books, prettily though not substantially bound, and illustrated in color. Each volume deals with a single country. Some of them are popular with older children, but others are interesting only to adults. The Little Cousin Series and Little Children Every- where Series give manners and customs, especially child- life, of various lands, in story form. The Little Children Everywhere Series is adapted to older children than the Little Cousins. Both are entertaining, but the former is more pleasing in style and, in general, less trivial than the latter. The Little Journey Series, for children in the inter- mediate grades is not so interesting as the Little Children Everywhere Series, nor so full of information as the Peeps at Many Lands. A child might find these books useful in the preparation of his geography lesson, but would scarcely read one through for pleasure. 6 The second type of non-fiction series consists of books dealing with many and varied subjects, but having a common editor and usually being uniform in binding and make-up. The Told to the Children Series (Dutton, $.50, is edited by Louey Chisholm and covers a large field in literature. It is a well-written series, but must be used with discrim- ination since it contains adaptations of material, which the children for whom these adaptations are intended could read in the original in two or three years. In such cases it is always wiser to wait. The Every Child Should Know Series (Doubleday $.90 per vol.) edited by H. W. Mabie, embraces not only literature, but art, nature-study and in fact, almost all subjects of interest to children. Unfortunately the books are unattractive in appearance and make-up and the title of the series itself, with its bald suggestion of “ought- ness” is an argument against it in the minds of many children. Still a third type of series is represented by the Chil- dren’s Hour; edited by Eva March Tappan, and Journeys Through Bookland, edited by C. H. Sylvester. Miss Tappan’s work consists of ten volumes into which has been gathered a wealth of material of many kinds. Each volume is devoted to a single subject; e. g. v. 1 contains folk-lore and fables, v. 2 myths from many lands, v. 3 stories from the classics, etc. Miss Tappan is familiar with the best of literature that has been written for chil- dren or appropriated to their use and she has made an excellent selection for these volumes. The work is pub- lished by Houghton, Mifflin Co. Mr. Sylvester’s work, also in ten volumes, differs in arrangement and treatment from Miss Tappan’s, al- though much of the material in the two sets is parallel. In the Journeys through Bookland, fiction, poetry, essays, biography, nature study and science are all represented, but no volume is given over exclusively to any one sub- ject. 7 The contents are graded from simplest material in volume one to difficult selections in volumes nine and ten, but any child who has mastered the mechanical diffi- culties of reading may find something of interest to him in each volume. Mr. Sylvester is perhaps less familiar with the field of children’s literature than Miss Tappan, and consequently has drawn more often than she from the wider sources of universal literature. His notes and suggestions throughout the volumes and his very full “Talks to Parents” in the tenth volume make it easy to use the Journeys as a basis of a serious study of literature for both children and adults. Bellows-Reeve Company of Chicago are the publishers of Journeys through Book- land. Both this set and Miss Tappan’s Children’s Hour show evidences of thorough, conscientious editorial work. Either of them would be a valuable addition to a child’s home library when it is not possible, or perhaps desirable to have all the original source books from which these compilations have been made. 8 BOOKS FOR THE LITTLE CHILDREN (Ages 2-7 years) Brooke, L. L. (The) Golden Goose Book. Warne, $2.00. Nothing better in picture work for little children has been done recently than Mr. Brooke’s illustrations for this volume. The stories illustrated are “The three bears,” “The golden goose,” “The three little pigs” and “Tom Thumb.” Each of these may be ob- tained separately in paper covers for $.50. Brooke, L. L. Johnny Crow’s Garden. Warne, $1.00. An old nursery rhyme with full-page illustrations in color and many in black and white. The pictures are full of real humor. Browning, Robert. Pied Piper of Hamelin; illus. by Kate Greenaway. Warne, $1.50. The tale of the Pied Piper is fascinating to children, and this edition having the quaint, simple illustrations in color by Kate Greenaway, possesses a double attraction. Burgess, Gelett. Goops, and How To Be Them. Stokes, $1.50. “A manual of manners for polite infants.” The goop pictures have become well known. In spite of their laugnable grotesqueness, they and the rhymes which accompany them teach many lessons of manners and morals. Caldecott, Randolph. Picture Books. 4 vol. Warne, $1.25 ea. (Published also in miniature series. Warne, $.50 ea.) Contents : No. 1. John Gilpin. — Three jovial huntsmen. — Elegy on the death of a mad dog. No. 2. House that Jack built. — Song of sixpence. — The queen of hearts. No. 3. Hey diddle diddle. — Baby Bunting. — Ride a cock horse. — Where are you going, my pretty maid? — The frog he would a- wooing go. No. 4. Come lasses and lads. — The fox jumps over the parson’s gate. — Mrs. Mary Blaize. — The great Panjandrum himself. “The latest good genius of children’s book illustrations is Mr. Randolph Caldecott, a designer assuredly of the very first order. Other artists draw to amuse us; Mr. Caldecott seems to draw to amuse himself, and this is his charm.” — Andrew Lang. Crane, Walter, illustrator. Mother Hubbard’s Picture Book. Lane, $1.25. This shows some of Walter Crane’s best work for children. Both the color and the drawing are excellent. Other titles in the series of picture books by Crane are “This Little Pig, his picture book,” “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and “Red Riding Hood.” Deming, T. 0. Indian Child Life. Stokes, $2.00. Little stories of Indian children of various tribes. The illustra- tions in color, made from paintings by E. W. Deming, add much to the value and attractiveness of the book. Greenaway, Kate. Marigold Garden. Warne, $1.50. Rhymes and pictures both by Kate Greenaway and both pleasing to little children. 9 LITTLE CHILDREN Hopkins, W. J. The Sandman. Page, $1.50. Incidents of a little boy’s life on a farm, told in great detail and with the many repetitions which little children love. “More farm stories” and “Ship stories” by the same author are told in the same style. Kipling, Rudyard. Just-So Stories. Doubleday, $1.20. Stories for little children, telling how some of the wild animals came to be as they are. They are full of originality and humor. Lucas, E. V. Four and Twenty Toilers. London, Dalton, $.72. Rhymes and pictures descriptive of 24 different trades and occupa- tions. A few of the rhymes presenting typically English workers may not be fully understood by American children, but the pic- tures, in soft, pretty colors, by F. D. Bedford, are in themselves worth possessing. There is an American book, “.Tingleman Jack,” by James O’Dea (Saalfield Publishing Co., $1.25) which covers somewhat the same ground, but the pictures are crude and the rhymes not so good as those of Mr. Lucas. Mother Goose’s Melodies, ed. by W. A. Wheeler. Houghton, Mifflin Co., $1.50. It is conceded by practically everyone nowadays that no nursery is complete without a collection of Mother Goose’s melodies, but the question of edition is an important one. The collection edited by W. A. Wheeler is carefully selected and well illustrated. It contains nine songs set to music. Charles Welsh has edited a collection called “Book of Nursery Rhymes” (Heath, $.30) that is very good. A charming little Mother Goose book, illustrated by Kate Green- away, is published by Warne, for $.60. “Mother Goose in Silhouettes,” cut by K. G. Buffum, (Houghton, Mifflin Co., $.75) is interesting and amusing. Potter, Beatrix. Tale of Peter Rabbit. Warne, $.50. This is one of a series of tiny books telling the stories of little rabbits and other furry folks, who, as represented, are very like little boys and girls. The softly colored pictures by the author are delightful. Other titles of the series are “The Tale of Ben.iamin Bunny,” “Tale of Mrs. Tiggy Winkle,” and “Tale of two bad. mice.” Poulsson, Emilie. Child Stories and Rhymes. Lothrop, $1.25. Little songs, rhymes, pictures and stories for very little folks. Scudder, Horace, ed. Children’s Book. Houghton, Mifflin, $2.50. A collection of the best folk tales, fables, ballads, legends, short stories and poems for children. It should have a prominent place in every child’s library. Stevenson, R. L. Child’s Garden of Verses; illus. by E. Mars and M. H. Squire. Rand, McNally, $.50. Little gems of poetry written by a man who never lost his child spirit and who expresses a child’s attitude toward things. The edition, illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith (Scribner, $2.50) makes a handsome gift book. Three Little Kittens. Dutton, $.50. The adventures of the three little kittens are always amusing. They are here attractively set forth on linen with pictures in color. 10 BOOKS FOR THE INTERMEDIATE AGES (8-12 Years) BIBLE AND RELIGIOUS CLASSICS Bible for Children; arranged from the King James version. Century, $3.00. Given in the poetic language of the Scriptures and illustrated by 24 full-page reproductions from the old masters. The life of Jesus is a harmonized narrative from the four Gospels. The table of contents enables one to find easily any Bible story of which he is in search. Bunyan, John. Pilgrim’s Progress; illustrated by the Brothers Rhead. Century, $1.50. Because of its length and the difficulty of the dialogue arrange- ment many children will not read “Pilgrim’s Progress” for them- selves, but few of them will fail to be interested, even though they do not fully understand the allegory, when it is read to them. MYTHOLOGY Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Wonder Book; illustrated by Walter Crane. Houghton, $2.50. Stories from Greek mythology, retold in the pure and beautiful English that characterizes all of Hawthorne’s writings. Kingsley, Charles. The Heroes; illustrated by T. H. Robinson. Dutton, $2.50. The stories of Perseus, the Argonauts and Theseus told in fine poetic prose. The Greek spirit is admirably kept. Mabie, H. W. Norse Stories; retold from the Eddas. Dodd, Mead Co., $1.25. One of the best retellings of the Norse myths for children. FAIRY TALES Aesop. Fables; translated by Joseph Jacobs. Macmillan, $1.50. The best of the fables attributed to Aesop are gathered in this edition. Andersen, H. C. Fairy Tales; translated by Mrs. E. Lucas. Dent, $2.50. This collection contains the most beautiful of Andersen’s stories. Mrs. Lucas is as familiar with Danish as with English so that her translation is very close to the original. A good selection is published in the Riverside literature series (Houghton, $.40). Arabian Nights’ Entertainments; selected and edited by Andrew Lang. Longmans, $2.00. Every child should have some knowledge of thesd Oriental fairy tales, for none can afford to be ignorant of the meaning of such phrases as “Aladdin’s Lamp” and “Open Sesame.’ This selection of Mr. Lang’s is a careful one. A beautiful edition of “Best known tales from the Arabian Nights,” selected by Kate Douglas Wiggin and N. A. Smith and illustrated by Maxfield Parrish, is published by Scribner for $2.50. 11 INTERMEDIATE AGES Carroll, Lewis, pseudonym. Alices Adventures in Wonderland; illus- trated by John Tenniel. Macmillan, $1.00. A nonsense wonder tale of a little girl’s marvelous adventures in underground regions. The delicious humor will be appreciated by older people even more than by children. Alice’s adventures are continued in the story of “Through the looking glass.” Grimm Brothers. Fairy Tales; translated by Mrs. E. Lucas, illus- trated by Arthur Rackham. Doubleday, $1.50. An excellent selection from the German folk-lore tales collected by the Grimms. The illustrations both in black and white and in color, are charming, though perhaps not sufficiently Teutonic in soirit. The translation of Grimm made by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane is very good. (Macmillan, $1.50.) Jacobs, Joseph, editor. English Fairy Tales. Putnam, $1.25. Mr. Jacobs was at one time president of the English folk-lore society. He has made a collection of the English folk tales similar to the German collection made by the Grimm Brothers. Kingsley, Charles. Water-babies; told to the children by Amy Steed- man. Dutton, $.50. The story of Tom, the poor little chimney sweep who was turned into a water-baby, is told here just as Kingsley told it. All the philosophical dissertations and allusions to contemporary po- litical, scientific and religious problems inserted in the original, for older people, are left out. Kipling, Rudyard. Jungle Book. Century, $1.50. Tales of the beasts of the jungle and of one human being, Mowgli, the foster-child of the wolves and the friend of all the jungle-folk. These stories are fascinating to boys and girls alike. There is also a “Second jungle book.” Lang, Andrew, ed. Blue Fairy Book. Longmans, $2.00. A collection of old favorites from the folk-lore of many peoples. The edition published by Burt, price $1.00, has larger print and the same illustrations as the Longmans edition. MacDonald, George. At the Back of the North Wind. Caldwell, $1.50. A modern wonder tale, the chief charm and value of which lie in the pure unselfishness and true nobility of the principal character, a poor coachman’s little son. The book will tire most children because of its great length, but it can be used effectively by being read aloud a few chapters at a time. Pyle, Howard. Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. Scribner, $3.00. Gathered directly from the old sources, these stories of the famous outlaw of Sherwood Forest are undoubtedly our best material on the subject for children. An abridgement of the larger book is published by Scribner for $.50. Pyle, Howard. Story of King Arthur and His Knights. Scribner, $2.50. The most beautiful prose version of the Arthurian legends. The illustrations by the author add to its charm. Three other books by Pyle, “Story of the champions of the Round Table.” “Story of Sir Launcelot and his companions,” and “Story of the grail and the passing of Arthur,” complete the cycle. 12 INTERMEDIATE AGES Ruskin, John. King of the Golden River. (Cosy Corner Series.) Page, $.50. “A Styrian legend setting forth in classic English prose the world- old story that hapniness lost by avarice is to be won by virtue only.” — G. E. Hardy. NATURE STUDY Burroughs, John. Squirrels and Other Fur-Bearers. Houghton, Mifflin Co., $.50. These little stories of animal life, told with a simplicity that is an art, teach love for the smaller animals and show the pleasure to be found in a close observation of their ways. Miller, 0. T. First Book of Birds. Houghton, $1.00. All about the daily life of the bird, his habits and his education from his nestling days until he is old. Tells also how he is made and how he works for us. There are colored plates of the most common birds and black and white illustrations of the others. POETRY Longfellow, H. W. Children’s Longfellow. Houghton, Mifflin Co., $3.00. This edition of Longfellow, printed in large, clear type and beauti- ful’y illustrated in color, includes those of his poems which are most loved by children. Evangeline, Hiawatha and Miles Standish are not given entire. Shute and Dunton. Land of Song. 3 vol. Silver, Burdett, v. 1, $.36; vol. 2, $.48; v. 3, $.54. Though graded and arranged primarily for school use, this collec- tion of poems is excellent for the home. In the selection, two ob- jects have been kept in mind — first, that the poems should have real literary merit, and second, that they should be such as would naturally appeal to children. FICTION Aanrud, Hans. Lisbeth Longfrock; translated from the Norwegian by L. E. Poulsson. Ginn, $.40. A simple story of a little Norwegian peasant girl, giving a good idea of Norwegian country life. Alcott, L. M. Jack and Jill. Little, Brown, $1.50. .Tack and Jill and the other boys and girls whom one learns to know in this story are of the right sort. It will interest younger children than the “Little women’ series. Crichton, Mrs. F. E. Peep-in-the-World. Longmans, $1.25. A -lovable little English girl spends a winter with her uncle in Germany. Both the character of the little heroine and the accurate picture of German manners and customs that is given, raise this above the average of children’s stories. Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe; illustrated by the Brothers Rhead. Russell, $1.50. Founded on the actual experiences of Alexander Selkirk, who was cast away on a desert island. It is a classic which every boy should read. Dix, B. M. Merrylips. Macmillan, $1.50. A story of England at a time of the strife between the Cavaliers and Roundheads. Merrylips was a little girl who wanted to be a boy, but who learned that a girl need not lack the manly virtues of courage and honor. The historical atmosphere is unusually good. 13 INTERMEDIATE AGES Dodge, M. M. Hans Brinker; or, The Silver Skates. Scribner, $.75. This story of a poor Dutch family furnishes an inspiring example of courage, perseverance and unselfishness. The background of Dutch customs and history is skillfully and effectively painted in. Duncan, Norman. Adventures of Billy Topsail. Revell, $1.50. The adventures of Billy Topsail and his friends are based upon real incidents in the lives of Labrador boys, who are, as the author- says, somewhat merrier and braver and kinder than the boys to whom self-reliance and physical courage are less needful. French, H. W. The Lance of Kanana. Lothrop, $1.00. A tale of Arabia, showing how a brave Bedouin lad, through the faithful performance of lowly tasks given him to humiliate him, acquired the virtues which enabled him later to save the Arabians from the hands of their enemies. Jackson, Mrs. H. M. F. H. Nelly’s Silver Mine. Little, $1.50. Nelly and her brother Rob are well-bred and likable children, but the chief value of the story lies in the picture which it gives of Colorado life in the early seventies. Kipling, Rudyard. Captains Courageous. Century, $1.50. A pampered son of wealthy parents falls into the hands of some Newfoundland fishermen, and among these rough men, who are real men for all their roughness, he achieves his own manhood. Lucas, E. V. Anne’s Terrible Good Nature; and other stories. Mac- millan, $1.75. Eleven short stories, clever and entertaining. Good to read aloud. Ouida, pseudonym. Dog of Flanders. Lippincott, $.50. The fortitude, the devotion and the faithfulness of a big dog and the humanity and affection of his little master are the appealing features in a story which is otherwise too somber. Good to read aloud. Ouida, pseudonym. The Niirnberg Stove. Lippincott, $.50. Tells of the devotion of a little boy with an artist’s soul, for a famous old stove, the only work of art in his poor home; also of the long, hard journey he took with the stove and what came of it. Pyle, Howard. Men of Iron. Harper, $2.00. A thrilling tale of the time of Henry IV of England, making clear many of the practices of chivalry and telling of knightly deeds and valor. Pyle, Howard. Otto of the Silver Hand. Scribner, $2.00. “A tale of a little boy who lived and suffered in the dark middle ages, of how he saw both the good and the bad of men, and of how by gentleness and love and not by strife and hatred, he came at last to stand alone above other men and to be looked up to by all.” — Preface. Seawell, M. E. Little Jarvis. Appleton, $1.00. How a gay, young midshipman on the U. S. ship, Constellation, proved himself a hero and gave up his life rather than abandon his post of duty. Spyri, Mrs. J. H. Heidi; translated by H. B. Dole. Ginn, $1.50. A story of a lovable little girl and her influence upon her friends, with a fine picture of the free, outdoor life of the Swiss moun- taineers as a background. Good to read aloud. Wiggin, K. D. Birds’ Christmas Carol. Houghton, $.50. “Story of little Carol Bird, who was born on Christmas day. In the tenderest and most effective way her life teaches the beauty of love and devotion in the household. The doings and sayings of the little Ruggleses give the story an element of delicious humor.” — Pittsburgh. 14 BOOKS FOR THE OLDER CHILDREN (Ages 13-18 Years) NATURE STUDY Seton, E. T. Lives of the Hunted. Scribner, $2.00. Mi*. Seton’s stories have been criticised on the ground that they make extravagant claims for the intelligence of the animals of which he writes, but few writers have done so much to create sym- pathy with wild animals and a desire to preserve them. “Krag” and “Johnny Bear,” two of the best stories in this volume, are also published separately. Scribner, $.50. POETRY AND ADAPTATIONS Church, A. J. Story of the Iliad. Macmillan, $1.00. The story of the Odyssey has also been retold by Church and is published uniformly with the Iliad. These great epics should have a place in every child’s library. W. C. Bryant’s translation of the Iliad into English verse (Houghton, Mifflin Co., $2.50), and Pal- mer’s rendering of the Odyssey into rhythmic prose (Houghton, Mifflin Co., $2.50) are good to read aloud and give some idea of the spirit and rhythm of the originals. Lamb, Charles and Mary. Tales from Shakespeare. Dutton, $2.50. These tales are classics in themselves, in addition to giving children an introduction to the greatest of our poets. ‘ The Lamb Shakespeare for the young,” edited by I. Gollanez, gives each of the tales in a separate volume with many passages from the original plays and with the songs set to music. Pub- lished by Duffield, $.80. Tennyson, Alfred. Idylls of the King. Macmillan, $1.00. (Golden treasury series.) The beautiful ideals of the Arthurian legends are here embodied in pure, perfect English. Good to read aloud. Wells, Carolyn, comp. Nonsense Anthology. Scribner, $1.25. “He must be a fool indeed who cannot at times play the fool; and he who does not enjoy nonsense must be lacking in sense.” — W. J Rolfe. Whether we entirely agree with Mr. Rolfe or not, it is certainly a good thing to be able to enjoy real nonsense rhymes. Some of the best that have ever been written have been brought together here by Miss Wells. Wiggin & Smith. Golden Numbers. McClure, $2.00. A very satisfactory collection of poetry for children. “The Posy Ring” (McClure, $1.25) is a collection made by Mrs. Wiggin and Miss Smith for the younger children. Boutet de Monvel, L. M. Joan of Arc. Century, $3.00. The text is a simple story of Joan’s life, treating her inspiration as a fact. The pictures are wholly beautiful, suited in their quiet dignity and simplicity to the story that they help to tell. Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography. (Riverside literature series.) Houghton, $.40. As a side light upon historical events of his time, as an instance of what perseverance and true worth may accomplish, and as an example of good, plain, forcible English, this story of Franklin’s life told by himself, is unsurpassed. 15 OLDER CHILDREN Lodge and Roosevelt. Hero Tales from American History. Century, $1.50. Short sketches of great men and notable events in our history, bringing out the heroism of peace as well as the heroism of war. Marshall, H. E. An Island Story. Stokes, $2.50. A history of England from legendary times to the present day. It is accurate in information, so that it will be read with profit and so interesting as a story that it is sure to be read with pleasure. There are numerous illustrations in color. FICTION Alcott, L. M. Little Women. Little, Brown, $1.50. A story of a New England family in Civil War days, much of it being based upon Miss Alcott’s own life. It is so wholesome and good in every way that it has become a classic among children’s nooks. The stories of the principal characters are continued in “Little Men” and “Jo’s Boys.” A handsome edition of “Little Women,” illustrated by Alice Bar- ber Stephens, is published by Little, Brown for $2.00. Aldrich, T. B. The Story of a Bad Boy. Houghton, $1.25. A real story of a very real boy by the man who was that boy. Its humor and pathos will not appeal to all children as keenly as to older people, but it is just the sort of a book to read aloud to children. Bennett, John. Master Skylark. Century, $1.50. A story of Shakespeare’s time and of a little lad who is stolen from his home at Stratford and carried to London by a company of players. Though he meets many fine persons and has strange adventures, his love for his mother and his home is constant and brings him back safe to them at last. Blackmore, R. D. Lorna Doone. (Luxenbourg ed.) Crowell, $1.50. A romance of Exmoor in Stuart times. Lorna Doone, the beautiful heroine, is rescued from the band of outlaw Doones by John Ridd, a plain and simple but staunch and chivalrous yeoman. The char- acters are well drawn and the scenic descriptions are excellent. Cervantes-Saavedra, Miguel de. Don Quixote of the Mancha; retold by Judge Parry, illustrated by Walter Crane. Lane, $1.50. Judge Parry retells the story from the famous Spanish novel as one who loves it would tell it, preserving much of its humor and charm, but keeping before his hearers the fact that the great origi- nal is the storehouse from which he draws his treasures. Clemens, S. L. (Mark Twain). Prince and Pauper. Harper, $1.75. The story tells how the little Prince of Wales, afterwards Edward VI of England, changed places with a beggar lad who was his double in appearance; and how both boys were benefited greatly by their experiences. It gives a realistic picture of mediaeval life. Craik, Mrs. D. M. M. John Halifax, gentleman; illustrated by Alice Barber Stephens. Crowell, $1.50. The life-story of a man of high ideals, whose faithfulness to those ideals wins him the right to be called by “the grand old name of Gentleman.” The scene is England, the time the middle of the 19tli century. 16 OLDER CHILDREN Dickens, Charles. Christmas Carol in Prose; with illustrations by C. E. Brock. Dutton, $1.00. An excellent story to read aloud at Christmas time. It tells in Dickens’ inimitable style how the beautiful Christmas spirit over- came an old miser’s, hardness of heart. This is only one of the many attractive editions in which it is published. Dickens, Charles. Cricket on the Hearth; illustrated by C. E. Brock. Dutton, $1.00. A beautiful idyll of English home life. Ewing, Mrs. J. H. (G.). Jackanapes. Society for Promotion of Chris- tian Knowledge, $.20. No more exquisite story for boys and girls was ever written than this of a brave English lad who gave up his life for his friend. Ewing, Mrs. J. H. (G.) Mary’s Meadow. Little, $.50. Some fine English children play a game in which flowers and un- selfisnness are the principal factors. Hale, E. E. Man Without a Country. Little, $.75 and $.35. The tragic story of Philip Nolan who, because he cursed his coun- try. was sentenced never to see nor hear of it again, gives a singu- larly impressive lesson in patriotism. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Twice-told Talles. Houghton, $2.00. Some of Hawthorne’s best imaginative tales and pictures of New England life are included in this volume. Hughes, Thomas. Tom Brown’s School Days; illustrated by Louis Rhead. Harper, $1.50. A classic story of English public school life. With the exception of the first three introductory chapters, which may be omitted, the story will interest American boys, though many of the details of Rugby life will be unintelligible to them. Dr. Arnold’s character as revealed in his influence upon his pupils and Tom Brown’s re- demption through his love for a younger boy are fine things. Kipling, Rudyard. Puck of Pook’s Hill. Doubleday, $1.50. Two children under the guidance of Puck meet various historical and semi-historical characters who tell stories of their adventures. Though these stories are not history, they arouse such interest in the personages and periods touched upon that they can scarcely fail to lead to the reading of real history. Lagerlof, Selma. Wonderful Adventures of Nils. Doubleday, $1.50. A wonder tale translated from the Swedish. It tells of a boy who, for his mischief and cruelty, is reduced to elfin size and goes away with the wild geese when they fly north in the Spring. He does not return and become mortal again until love and kindness have replaced the evil qualities in his heart. There is much information about Sweden and the habits of migratory birds. The end of the story has been recently published (1911) in a book called “Further Adventures of Nils.” Lucas, E. V. The Slow Coach. Macmillan, $1.50. Story of a vacation trip taken by six English children in a travel- ing van. The children are very likable and their adventures are boiii entertaining and amusing. 17 OLDER CHILDREN Scott, Sir Walter. Ivanhoe. Dryburgh ed. Macmillan, $1.25. A romance, having its setting in England at the end of the 12th century. Richard Coeur de Lion, Robin Hood, Friar Tuck and other well-known romantic characters are introduced. Historical matters are handled freely, but the pictures of Normans and Saxons in England and the life of the times are accurate and graphic. Scott, Sir Walter. Quentin Durward. Dryburgh ed. Macmillan, $1.25. The events take place in France and Flanders at the time of Louis XL Charles the Bold of Burgundy figures largely in the story, but the hero is a young Scot, whose bravery, chivalry and trustworthi- ness finally bring him a rich reward. Seaman, A. H. Jacqueline of the Carrier Pigeons. Sturgis & Walton, $1.25. The scene is laid in Leyden in the year 1574, during the Spanish siege, and the interest centers in two children who play an import- ant part in saving the town. The miseries and heroism of the be- sieged are well portrayed. Stevenson, R. L. Kidnapped. Scribner, $1.50. “Kidnapped” and its sequel, “David Balfour,” are romances deal- ing with the adventures of a young Scotch lad. They depict the political state of Scotland in the period succeeding the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. They are full of thrilling incidents, of love and of loyal friendship. Stevenson, R. L. Treasure Island. Scribner, $1.25. Written expressly for boys, but of interest to everyone who loves a tale of pure adventure. Among pirate stories it is a classic. Vaile, C. M. Orcutt Girls. Wilde, $1.50. A thoroughly wholesome story of scliool-girl life in a small New England town forty years ago. Vaile, C. M. Sue Orcutt; a sequel to the Orcutt girls. Wilde, $1.50. The experiences of Sue, the younger of the Orcutt girls, during her later years at Merton Academy. The strong character of the prin- cipal of the academy and his beneficent influence upon Sue’s life are brought out more clearly here than in the “Orcutt Girls.” A simple, charming romance ends the story. Wiggin, K. D. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Houghton, $1.25. Rebecca is one of the most charming girl heroines of modern fic- tion. This is a good story to read aloud. IS BOOKS FOR PARENTS GUIDANCE OF CHILDREN’S READING Arnold, G. W., comp. Mother’s List of Books for Children. McClurg, $ 1 . 00 . This list includes books which cover the whole range of a child’s interests and each book is characterized by a descriptive note or critical comment. The books are classified according to age, being arranged for children of from two to fourteen years. There is an author and title index. Moses, M. J. Children’s Books and Reading. Kennerley, $1.50. Traces the historical development of children’s literature and at- tempts to show the aims of the library for the child and the rela- tion which the library, the school and the home bear to one an- other and all to the child. Olcott, F. J. The Children’s Reading. Houghton, $1.25. Miss Olcott was for many years the head of the Children’s Depart- ment at the Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh, and is a recognized authority on the subject of children’s books and reading. HYGIENE Griffith, J. P. C. Care of the Baby. Saunders, $1.50. What should be provided for the baby and how it should spend its days. Saleeby, C. W. Parenthood and Race Culture. Moffat, $2.50. A general introduction to eugenics. Winterburn, F. H. (The) Children’s Health. Baker, $1.25. Papers dealing with the general principles of health rather than with disease and its treatment. RELATIONS OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN Abbott, E. H. On the Training of Parents. Houghton, $1.00. Papers on the relation of parents and children which appeared in serial form in the Outlook, 1907-08. Winterburn, Mrs. F. H. From the Child’s Standpoint. Baker, $1.25. Views of child life and nature: a book for parents and teachers. FICTION— PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF CHILDREN Grahame, Kenneth. Golden Age; illustrated by Maxfield Parrish. Lane, $2.50. This is an especially beautiful edition. There are other good ones that are less expensive. Martin, G. M. Emmy Lou: her book and her heart. McClure, $1.50. A study of a child’s development. White, W. A. Court of Boyville. Macmillan, $1.50. Stories of boy life, written for “grown-ups.” 19