ple; illus. by L. F. Perkins. (Dandelion classics.) Stokes. $1.50.

Stevenson, R. L. Child's garden of verses; illus. by Jessie Wilcox Smith. Scribner. $2.50.

Stevenson, R. L. Child's garden of verses; illus. by Charles Robinson. Scribner. $1.50.

Stevenson, R. L. Child's garden of verses; illus. by Florence Storer. Scribner. $1.50.

Stevenson, R. L. Kidnapped; illus, by N. C. Wyeth. Scribner. $2.25.

14 colored plates.

Stevenson, R. L. Treasure island; illus. by N. C. Wyeth. Scribner. $2.50.

14 colored plates.

Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's travels; illus. by Louis Rhead. Harper. $1.50.

Swift, Jonathan, Gulliver's travels; illus. by C. E. Brock. (Cranford edition.) Macmillan. $1.50.

Thackeray, W. M. The rose and the ring; with illustrations by the author. Macmillan. .50.

Wyss, J. D. Swiss family Robinson; illus. by Louis Rhead. Harper. $1.50.

EXERCISE.

1. Name an illustrated book which you have found to be very popular with little children. What do you think are the elements in its pictures which appeal to children?

2. Look over the editions of Mother Goose listed at the end of the chapter. Which do you think most suitable for children? Which do you personally like best?

3. Mention an instance in which you have found humour in illustrations appreciated by children.

4. Examine the Robinson Crusoe illustrated by Louis Rhead (Harper), and the one illustrated by E. Boyd Smith (Houghton). Which do you think children would prefer? Show both editions to the same group of children and note their preference.

5. Mention several books which might be used as substitutes for the Comic Supplement.

6. Do you find that children over twelve are much interested in the illustrations in their books? Have you ever found that a book little used by the children becomes popular through an attractively illustrated edition? If so, cite the instance.

7. Mention a book for children (other than those cited in this chapter) in which it seems to you that the illustrations are not childlike in tone.

8. Mention three illustrated books which you would suggest for a High School Library for the sake of the value in artistic training which familiarity with their pictures will give.

Chapter XXI

CHOICE OF EDITIONS; CHILDREN'S MAGAZINES; SOME LISTS OF CHILDREN'S

Choice of Editions.

BOOKS

Too little attention is paid, as

a rule, to the form and appearance of the books we would have children read. The cover, the pictures, the very look of the page, influence a child in his choice of a book. “What is the use of a book without pictures and conversations?" thought Alice in Wonderland, and many other Alices have thought the same thing. Any teacher may easily try the experiment of putting two different editions of the same book in the classroom library. The little dull colored, small type Robinson Crusoe with a text-book air, will stand on the shelf, while the edition with a bright cover, large type and plenty of pictures will be snapped up at once as a desirable prize. Children's librarians will tell you of the little used book, that on returning from the bindery in a fresh red cover, starts out on a career of popularity. Cover and pictures alone will not make a book popular, but a dull looking exterior will certainly cause many a treasure to lie undiscovered.

Beautiful Books Cultivate the Artistic Sense.Grown-up people who frequently read a novel with scarcely a glance at the illustrations, forget how much pictures mean to the child. Good illustrations are one of the few means at our command to-day, to cultivate

something of artistic appreciation in the great mass of children. The fine, large, illustrated editions, such as those listed in the foregoing chapter, are expensive it is true, and we cannot afford to have even all the classics for children in that form; but one or two such volumes should be in every classroom library, that the children may have an opportunity to know what a fine and beautiful thing a book may be.

School Series. There are several excellent series, published with supplementary reading in view, such as Houghton's Riverside School Library; Heath's Home and School Classics; Ginn's Classics for Children; and the American Book Company's Eclectic Readings. They are durably bound, well printed on good paper, and frequently illustrated. In buying school and classroom libraries we shall include many books of these series, but a library furnished entirely with volumes of this character will certainly fail to interest the child. Often when cost must be considered an inexpensive edition may be found which will add variety to the shelves. For example, many standard juveniles are to be had in Everyman's Library (Dutton. 50 cents). These are in reinforced bindings with plain but attractive covers, and many of them illustrated.

Help in Selecting Editions for Children.- A brief list of good illustrated editions is given on page 322ff; help will be found in the Lists of Children's Books given in this chapter; and Miss Olcott in her Children's Reading pays especial attention to editions. In the case of standard authors for the school library (such as Scott, Longfellow, etc.) consult How to Choose Editions, by W. E. Foster, with introduction by Martha T. Wheeler. A. L. A. Publishing Board. 15 cents.

Children's Magazines. The only children's magazines which merit serious consideration are St. Nicholas and the Youth's Companion. St. Nicholas is published monthly and contains besides short stories and serials, poems and jingles, and articles on biography, history, nature and travel. A few pages in each issue are planned especially for little children. St. Nicholas began publication in 1873; Howard Pyle, Tudor Jenks, Mrs. Mary Mapes Dodge (who was its first editor) and many other well known names are found in the list of contributors. Rikki-tikki-tavi and others of the Jungle Book stories were first published in St. Nicholas. It has maintained its standard of excellence exceptionally well. The illustrations in St. Nicholas are unusually good: there are many in black and white, and frequently a colored plate. It is published by the Century Company, New York, at, $3 a year.

The Youth's Companion is a weekly. It contains serials and short stories of merit, articles on current events, science, history, biography, and anecdotes. There is a page of stories, rhymes and pictures for little children and, in recent years, a special page for girls, including arts and crafts and domestic economy. It is illustrated. It began publication in 1827 and has enjoyed great popularity. Perry, Mason and Company, Boston, $2.

Adult Magazines Enjoyed by Children.- A few of the adult magazines such as Outing, Popular Mechanics, Popular Electricity, and the Scientific American, are popular with boys.1 It is doubtful wisdom to encourage more magazine reading than this on the part of children,

1 Popular electricity. Chicago. $1.50. For the others see Books for a high school library, p. 157-158.