The Portland daily press., 1880-12-18

delight. The Five Little Mice were
five little brothers and sisters and the Trap
was their house, where few of the constraints
and limits of liberty which one might associate
with the idea of a mouse-trap, were ever expe-
rienced The Man in the Moon is supposed to
watch the little peoples merry doings all the
day, and slide down one of his slanting silver
beams at night to tell stories and sing songs to
his little friends. But no description can give
much more than hint of the happiness wait
ing for the fortunate children to whom Santa
Claus brings this large, fascinating and beauti-
fully illustrated book. Mrs Richards has a
rare gift at telling stories for little people, and
Miss Greenaway's dainty damsels and Miss
Ledyard's cunning baby-pictures, with other
lovely illustrations add to the attractions of
the story.
| A lively and delightful volume, full of reli-
able information set forth in the jolliest fash =
| ion for the good of the boys is Mr. Hezekiah
Butterworth's "Zig-zag Journeys in Classic
Lands" Boston: Estes 81 Lauriat. For sale
in Portland by Loring, Short & Harmon and
Hoyt, Fogg & Donham). The readers of Mr.
| Butterworth's first volume of this fresh and
| amusing series, relating the adventures in
| Europe of party of boys travelling in the care
of their tutor will see to it that the sale of this
Zig-zag at least equals that of its pre1 ecessor-
| 10000 copies. Tommy Toby and his more staid
| but not less enthusiastic fellow-voyagers have
| made hosts of good friends among the boys of
| America. The Zigzag Journeys are indispen-
| sable to the library of every youth; and are
| thoroughly to be recommended to holiday
book-buyers, as being of solid and lasting value
and unfailing pleasure. The illustrations are
numerous and excellent.
| Twin Cousins. By Sophie May. Flake
Frizzle Series. Boston: Lee g. Shepard; Port
land: Dresser & M'Lellan) The Christmas
season would be quite incomplete without
visit from one of the cunninO circle of Prudy
| Parlin's little friends. This time it is Flake
Frizzle and her twin cousin" NIilly, whose
funny sayings and doings form one of the
| prettiest of the many stories that Sophie May
has written to delight the little ones.
Six Stories from the Arabian Nights (Bos-
ton: Lee & Shepard: Portland: Dresser s. NJ
Lellan) are edited by Mr.. Samuel Eliot, SUPER
intendent of Boston Public Schools, and au-
| tborized for use in those schools Happy days
are at hand for the children if Fairyland is to
be brought into the schoolroom; and the ma
| gician's wand take the place of the rod; and
Sinbad the sailor give lessons il geography,
| and Ali Baba teach so much of arithmetic as
will enable little boys and girls TO count forty
| thieves and multiply the number of jars by the
gallons of oil it takes to fill them, su tracting
the square inches taken up by the robber in
| side the jar. The holidays bid fair to last the
year round with such delightful lesson-books
| as this. And it is no less desirable as a gift
book than as school manual
Mr.. George M. Towle, in his excellent He
| roes OF History series for young people (Bos-
| ton: Lee & Shepard; Portland: Dresser & NJ
| Lellan) has volume which records the won
| derful travels and adventures of Marco Polo,
which were considered very improbable in
their day, but which modern science now con-
firms. 1t must please the old voyager-if from
| any far.off star he can look down to the world
| over which he loved to wander-to see the
boys of to-day reading with eager faith the
| stories that were scorned by the wiseacres of
| five hundred years ago.
The Peterkin Papers By Lucretia P. Hale.
| Boston: James r. Osgood & Co.; Portland:
| Dresser & M Lellan). For the young readers
| who enjoy the unique flavor of the Peterkin
Papers, here is neat edition of those sketches
The Silver Medal is the title of a volume Of
stories for the older boys by Mr.. j. 7. Trow-
| bridge Boston: Lee & Shepard; Portland
Bailey & Noyes). They are practical, manly
stories, always on the right side of things, and
with GENIAL ready quality that never ia lis to
| please young people. Mr.. Trowbridge writes
with much humor and local color, and knows
| How to tell story
Aim Fire!l Bang!l Stories. By Julia NJ.
| Beecher, Boston: Lee & Shepard; Portland:
Dresser & M'Lellan) is collection of short
stories, supposed to be told to group of little
| listeners. Their literary merit is not much,
| but they are pleasantly told, full of kindly
| spirit
Stories of the Sea. By Edward e. Hale
| Boston: Roberts Brothers; Portland Loring,
| Short & Harmony is a most admirably de-
| signed and executed volume for young people.
| 1t is the second volume of series of which
| Stories of War told by Soldiers was the first;
| and the public viii claim eagerly the fulfill
ment of the half-promise held out of Stories of
Discovery and Stories of Adventure, to follow.
| These books are calculated to lead young peo-
| pie to look up the original authorities for
themselves, while offering to them some of
the notable stories of war and of the sea, told
at first-hand by the heroes of these adventures.
Columbus narrates his voyages, Sir Richard
Grenville-who will be remembered by read
ers of Kingsley's Amyas Leigh-recounts his
adventures, Alexander Selkirk, Lord Nelson
and others relate sea-stories in their own words
A debt of genrine gratitude is owing to Mr..
Hale, for this wise and delightful way he has
taken to lead young people to taste for what
ever is sound and worthy in literature, by
proving how much more thrilling and power
full are these true tales of adventure apd prow-
ess than are the f1ashy and impossible books of
fiction which are the favorite reading of too
many boys.
Down South is, by some caprice of the COM
pass, one of the Great Western series by Oliver
Optic. 1t is a story of Yacht Adventures in
Florida. Like most of this authors stories it
is rather rough and ready than refined, but the
spirit of adventure which pervades them,
makes them popular with the boys. Boston
Lee & Shepard; Portland: Dresser & M'Lellan.
Books Received.
Christmas Books. By Charles Dickens. In
two parts. Paper, illustrated 27o pp,. 25 cents
EACH New York: 1. X. Funk & Co.
Sketches and "Reminiscences of the Radi-
cal Club. By Mrs. John 4. Sargent. Cloth,
41S pp., $500. Boston: j. R. Osgood & Co.
Portland: Loring, Short s. Harmon.
Zigzas Journeys i'm Europe. By Hezekiah
Butterworth. Boards. illustrated 311 PIP. Bos-
ton: Estes Laariat. Portland; Hoyt, Fogg &
Donham.
Zigzag Journeys i'm Classic Lands. By
Hezekiah Butterworth. Boards, illustrated, 31S
pp Boston: Estes & Iauriat, Portland: Loripp