“ In the average fairy tale these three concomitants are so blended that the dominating character is the fairy, who eventually prevails over the machinations of the wicked witch and the brutal giant. As the fairy represents love and kindness, a most important lesson is impressed upon the mind of the child. There is also a good reason for the witch and the giant. ”

“ The child is not born already civilized, but with natural and savage instincts. Civilization, which is only a veneer, is an acquired thing, and it needs only a scratch to bring the savage instinct to the surface. The witch and the giant, then, do their part in appeasing the desire for violence; and the fact that these disturbing elements are finally overcome by the good fairy is a great factor in the early education of the child.
The best collection of tales for very young children is that known as “Mother Goose Nursery Tales,” gathered together by Charles Perrault. ”

“ Among the artists of this country whose masterpieces depict childhood, Jessie Willcox Smith stands preëminent. Her illustrations in “Real Rhymes of Real Children,” “The Book of the Child,” etc., have made her the most popular among American artists whose work is devoted to the delineation of child life. Books which she has illustrated and which contain good examples of her art, besides the two already mentioned, are “The Child’s Garden of Verses,” “A Child’s Book of Old Verses,” “Seven Ages of Childhood,” “The Child’s Book of Stories,” and “Dream Blocks.” ”

“ Rolf Kittering lived with an uncle whose treatment of him was so brutal that finally he escaped and sought refuge at the camp of a chance friend, old Quonab, the Indian. His education in woodcraft then became a matter of existence, and under Quonab’s tutelage Rolf became familiar with the intimate life of the wild creatures of the great North woods. An exciting part of the story is where Rolf puts his knowledge into practice as a daring scout during the War of 1812. ”

“ The story of a vacation cruise made by four New York boys twelve to fourteen years of age. They fit out a large rowboat with spritsail and camping outfit, and cruise up the Harlem and Hudson Rivers to Troy, thence by canal to Schroon River and the lakes in the Adirondacks, where they camp for two weeks. ”

“ Peter Newell has also done excellent humorous work, such as “The Hole Book,” “The Slant Book,” “Pictures and Rhymes,” “Alice in Wonderland,” etc. B. Cory Kilvert, John Rae, Bessie Pease Gutman, Hope Dunlap, Ethel Franklin Betts, and Wilhelmina Seegmiller have all done most attractive work which appeals to the xixyounger children. The artist who is capable of producing illustrations attractive alike to both child and adult, and which are understood by both, is what may be termed a sympathetic genius; he also represents a distinctive branch of art. ”

“ Then must the parent be most watchful, because somehow the boy will secure reading material which may possibly be decidedly harmful. How often do we read of a boy in possession of a cheap revolver or a bloodthirsty-looking knife being apprehended while on his way to slay Indians, or to become a bandit or a pirate. ”

“ Material delightful to the hearing, but perhaps in a lesser degree to the understanding, of a child of from nine to twelve years of age, yields pleasure also to the adult; while to children of twelve to sixteen or seventeen the same material would be dry and uninteresting; its beauty is not intuitively perceived by them as by their younger brothers. ”

“ The fairy story of a little girl who ran through a rabbit hole into a very queer country, and of her adventures there. The humor of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass” will also appeal to grown-ups. ”

“ Dorothy, the heroine, lived with her uncle and aunt on a farm in Kansas. One day a cyclone carried the house, with Dorothy and the dog Toto in it, many miles away to the land of Oz. They alight on the wicked witch of the East, killing her. The Munchkins, the Scarecrow, The Great Oz, etc., are introduced, and Dorothy’s adventures are in full swing. ”

“ Of course, there is such temperamental difference in children that it is absolutely impossible to draw any hard and fast line in the matter of reading according to age, but in the cases of nine out of ten children it is safe to avoid the theoretical and to accept the practical. ”

“ These four artists have given us the best examples of real art for children, and their picture and toy books should be a great deal more widely known than they are. The manufacturing of the books of these four artists is all done in England; and for real art, combined with mechanical excellence, they are absolutely the xviiifinest picture books ever put before the public. Among English artists Milicent Sowerby is well worthy of recognition ”

“ The justly popular “Little Women” series by Louisa M. Alcott should be read by girls of from twelve to sixteen; xvthey will not be properly appreciated at an age younger than twelve. For those of a more tender age, ranging from seven to eleven, this author’s other series “The Scrap Bag,” and “Lulu’s Library,” make good, wholesome reading. The girl of ten to thirteen years will be much interested in Marguerite Bouvet’s “Little Marjorie’s Love Story,” “Sweet William,” and “A Child of Tuscany” ”

“ Much care has been used in selecting books which have some value in assisting the gradual evolution of the mind or in shaping character, and which, at the same time, will make their appeal to the boy or girl. ”

“ The origin of most of these tales is lost in the shades of antiquity.
Every parent should have in mind the great importance to the child of the literature he reads. Much good or much harm may be the result of the early impressions gained. ”

“ Happily there are plenty of books on the market which will satisfy the boy’s craving for the wild and adventurous, and which will at the same time be of some benefit to him in leading him to become interested in certain periods of history or in implanting a desire for information regarding the geography of this and other countries. ”

“ Polly is an original, attractive little girl, a leader among her playfellows, and with ideals which make her seem older than her years. The story is linked with the Naval Academy, and the Battleship fleet which made the journey round the world.
Confidences—Talks with a Young Girl Concerning Herself. By E. B. Lowry, M.D.
Gives the facts concerning the development of life in such clear and suitable language that it may be placed in the hands of the young girl.
Dale Girls, The. By Frances Weston Carruth.
A story of every-day life, with two attractive young heroines. ”

“ The story of a young engineer, on his way from New York to Africa, who is thrown overboard in a fight with the skipper. He is rescued by a steamer which is afterwards wrecked on the edge of the Sargasso Sea. The hero has many amazing adventures among the derelicts of that ocean graveyard. ”

“ The story of man’s endeavors to fly and of the inventions by which he has succeeded. The book gives the reader a good idea of the different types of aeroplanes, of how they are constructed, and how operated. ”

“ During the last few years several artists have achieved fame through their genius in illustrating books for the young. Among the more prominent of these are Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, and Warwick Goble. Among the books illustrated by Arthur Rackham are “Peter Pan,” “The Rainbow Book,” “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” and Grimm’s “Fairy Tales.” To Edmund Dulac may be credited among others, “The Arabian Nights,” and “The Sleeping Beauty.”
ONE THOUSAND BOOKS
FOR CHILDREN
1 For Girls Eight to Ten Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. By C. L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) . ”

“ A collection of eight stories of which girls are the heroines. Each has a striking situation and incident, and is well told.
Summer in Leslie Goldthwaite’s Life, A. By Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney.
About a summer spent in the White Mountains. A story full of kindly, Christian feeling, spiced with quaint New England characters and their odd reflections. Followed by “We Girls,” “Real Folks,” and “The Other Girls.” ”

“ Two little girls are sent to Grandfather Newman at Pine Tree Farm while their parents are absent in California. The story tells very amusingly how the old people and the young people plotted to remain together.
Grandpa’s Little Girls and Their Friends. By Alice T. Curtis.
The third book about the Newmans. They find that the best way to lead at school is to be of service to others.
Grandpa’s Little Girls at School. By Alice T. Curtis.
The second book about the little Newman girls. Tells how they ran away to escape going to school, how they finally went and wouldn’t have missed it for anything. ”

“ An entertaining baseball story.
“Crimson Sweater” Series, The. By Ralph Henry Barbour.
Crimson Sweater, The.
Tom, Dick, and Harriet.
Harry’s Island.
Captain Chub.
The first two volumes deal with school and football; the third tells about a summer vacation spent on an island in the Hudson River, where the boys camped, and where Harry (who is a girl) joined them every day; and in the fourth a house-boat is rented, and with Harriet and her father as guests, they cruise up and down the Hudson, meeting with various adventures. ”

“ The field is wide xviand a great wealth of real literature has been selected, annotated, and arranged, and additions are continually being made to the already long list.
For the grades, perhaps the best collection is that by Dr. Charles Eliot Norton called “The Heart of Oak Books,” in the first two volumes of which will be found a splendid selection of fairy tales, fables, wonder stories, and rhymes. The whole series is of general excellence. The supplementary reading should begin with rhymes, fairy tales, and fables, followed by simple mythology, legends, and folk lore ”

“ The author, an enlisted man in the United States Navy, accompanied the battleship fleet on its remarkable voyage around the world, and this book is the result of his personal observations. Contains illustrations from photographs.
Bar B Boys. By Edwin L. Sabin.
A good, wholesome story of cowboy life.
Behind the Line. By Ralph Henry Barbour.
A story of New England college life. The first chapter takes the reader right into the midst of a big football game. There is another game later in the story in which the hero is hurt but manages to save the day at the last moment. ”

“ A little girl and her father leave a sleepy village in the East and go to a Western mining camp, where they live in a tent. The story tells how Jean Kingsley helps her father in the search for fortune. ”

“ At the age of twelve to sixteen most boys develop a desire for school, college, and outing stories, and numerous authors cater to this taste. Among the better known of these are Barbour, Home, Finnemore, Malone, Beach, Hare, Earl, Tomlinson, and Paine ”

“ A very entertaining school story. The “Silver Sword” is a society formed by the girls, the object of which is to engender feelings of love and kindness.
League of the Signet-Ring, The. By Mary Constance Du Bois.
A sequel to “The Lass of the Silver Sword.” The story begins with a happy house-party at Wyndgarth; then there is fun and adventure in the Adirondacks, and a happy ending in the country home where the story opens. These two books teach lessons of love and loyalty.
Little Colonel Series, The. By Annie Fellows Johnston. 10 to 14. ”

“ A tale of adventure in mid-air. The Essex Ghost is a flying vessel of huge proportions, and exciting incidents follow one another swiftly.
Head Coach, The. By Ralph D. Paine.
A book for the football enthusiast. With many exciting incidents, the story tells how the coach won out.
Hector, My Dog; His Autobiography. By Egerton R. Young.
Hector, the dog, is the supposed narrator. The scene is the Northland, and the studies in dog nature are very interesting. He tells of his race with the gray wolf, and of his trials in a land where all wood and hay were dragged home by the dogs. ”

“ A rattling good college story for girls. It is full of fun, and the characters are very human.
Polly Page Ranch Club, The. By Izola L. Forrester.
Sprightly Polly Page is brimful of ideas and is quite able to carry them out. She plans a summer outing in Wyoming for the Ranch 28Club and arranges for the jolly good times the girls have while there. Polly is a thoroughly fine, all-round girl, who cannot fail to make friends. Follows “The Polly Page Yacht Club.” ”

“ The Glue books, which contain various things to be cut out and pasted on appropriate backgrounds, are popular with children. They give them something pleasant to do, and at the same time, unconsciously educate their fingers and eyes. 6 to 10.
Golden Windows. By Laura E. Richards.
A fine collection of fables which will appeal to grown-ups as well as to the young. 6 to 10.
Hollow Tree Deep Woods Book, The. By Albert Bigelow Paine.
The adventures of the Hollow Tree folk, Mr. Coon, Mr. Possum, Mr. Crow, Mr. Rabbit, and their friends in the deep woods. Amusingly told; not in dialect. 6 to 10. ”

“ Series, The. By Kirk Munroe.
Canoemates. A story of the Florida reefs and everglades. The travels of two boys from Key West, along the reefs to the mainland, and through the everglades. Campmates. A story of the plains. A boy’s adventures with an engineering party in the West. Dorymates. A tale of the fishing banks off Newfoundland. Gives a graphic description of the dangers and hardships of deep-sea fishermen. Raftmates. A story of the Mississippi. Tells of an adventurous voyage down the Mississippi, from Minnesota to Louisiana. Men of Iron. ”

“ The story of a young Pennsylvania-German girl, an orphan, and her efforts at home-making while one of her brothers is away in Alaska.
When Sarah Went to School. By Elsie Singmaster.
Shows how by steady persistency and habitual cheerfulness a little Pennsylvania-German won out at boarding-school in spite of her shyness and quaint dialect. Follows “When Sarah Saved the Day.”
12Youngest Girl in the School, The. By Evelyn Sharp.
The “youngest girl” is eleven years old, and the pet of five brothers. The story is about her doings in a strange boarding-school. ”

“ A sequel to “The Cruise of the ‘Ghost.’” The four boys cruise in canoes from Lake Memphremagog, Vermont, down the Magog, St. Francis, and St. Lawrence Rivers to Quebec.
Cruise of the “Ghost,” The. By William L. Alden.
A sequel to “The Moral Pirates.” The boys, with a young naval cadet, cruise in a twenty-foot catboat through the bays along the south shore of Long Island. ”

“ Contains fairy stories, a bear story, and stories about little girls.
Only Child, An. By Eliza Orne White.
A pretty story about a lonely little girl.
Other Sylvia, The. By Nina Rhoades.
Sylvia learns that girls who are “King’s Daughters” pledge themselves to do kind acts and to help others. One little girl named Mary tries to assist all the “Marys” of her acquaintance, and Sylvia endeavors to find another of her own name that she may help, and the search brings her happiness.
Polly Cologne. By Mrs. A. M. Diaz.
Tells how a much-loved rag doll was lost and found. ”