Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-06
BOOKS AND BOOKMAKERS.
IBY L. B.l

When Kate Douglas Wiggin was writ
ing her new book entitled Childrens'
Rights, Book Of Nursery Logic, che
little knew what an instantaneous sue
cess it would be. One morning sitting
in her study she turned to the man who
washes her windows and said: "Dennis,
am writing an article on the Rights Of
Children, what do you think about it ?"
Dennis carried his forefnger to his head
in search of an idea, for he was not
accustomed to having his intelligence 90
violently assaulted, and after mo-
ment's puzzled thought said, "What do
think about it mum? Why, think
we'd ought to give 'em to 'em. But
Lor', mum, If we don't they take 'em, so
what's the odds?" Evidently he was
thinking of asfree born American child.
The ten chapters of the book are upon
the duties of parents and teachers to the
children. 1t appeals very strongly to
the teachers in kindergarten work, and
to all mothers who wish to treat their
children wisely. The rights of the child !;
children's plays; children's playthings;
and what shall children read? are all
discussed in an experienced and wise
way. These chapters bring forth Mrs.
Wiggin's brightness and good sense.
Then follows: The Relation of the Kin
dergarten to Social Reform The Relation
of the kindergarten to the Public Schools,
and Other Peoples Children. There
are many home truths in these pages
and advice that will assist many tired
mothers, amuse many worrying child.
rem and cause home to be much more
pleasant and happier. Mrs. Wiggin's
sister, Nora A. Smith, who was her col
laborateur in The Story Hour, furnishes
three very bright chapters for this work:
Children's Stories, How Shall We Gov
ern Our Children and The Magic OF To-
gether. Three of these essays are ia.
miliar to many mothers and teachers, as
they have already appeared in Scrib-
ner's Magazine, The Cosmopolitan and
Baby hood.
The little folks seem to be having
their Innings" at the present time, and
fond parents can have, abundant sup
plies to choose from in juvenile liter
ature. Mr.. Frank Dempster Sherman
has composed book OF poems for young
people, the title of which is Little.
folks Lyrics. 1t is a volume which
is full of real interest and
rare excellence for young readers.
In his Introductory poem Mr.. Sherman
refers to the enchantment certain
rhymes possessed for his childhood. He
gives charming lyric for each month
in the year, and these and the 40 other
poems in the book are full of outdoor
life. They are fragrant with flowers;
they describe youthful sports; they tell
OF natures changeful moods, of birds
and animals and plants, and they cannot
fail to delight and healthfully stimulate
young readers.
xxx
There is famous lady writer for boys
and girls who each year endears herself
more and more to the little ones who
she strives so hard to please. She has
to tire of stories which she can tell
as we'll as she can write them for
other children. All her life she has
dreamed stories which she writes anu
puts into books-and in these dreams
she sees the little folks as they really
are and writes of them as she sees
them-she takes in all the points
and fills them in as an artist
does his subjects in portrait.
Some OF these dreams pass through her
mind merely as bird fits across the
sky and are forgotten, but some stay
awhile, or at least leave trace as they
pass, and in after days, when thinking
of these dim, distant pictures, out of the
shadows come number of the children
and around them che weaves bright
mosaic of words which tells of their
actions and conversation, their drees and
their plays, full of happy laughter,
bright faces and tender words. 1t may
be the story of tiny newsboy in New
York, little fellow with sun-bleached
hair who was found way up in the
mountains of North Carolina, poor
little man waiting in the mud
and drizzling rain in crowded
London street,. rushing to open
of being given few coppers, or beau
tiful little soft eyed, curly haired bsggar
of Rome, lingering in the court yard of
the hotel, only to run out after your
carriage and cry "Soldi, Signora" quite
sure that the soldi will soon come tink-
ling on the pavement. In all her writ
ings she touches the heart. Such
writer is Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Her last Juvenile is entitled Giovanni
and the Other. 1t consists of twelve
short stories, and the subject of each
sketch is some little man or woman per-
sonally known to Mrs. Burnett, thereby
attaching an autobiographic interest
to these charming portraits of
child life. Four OF these stories.
sad, sweet, and touched with delicate
humor, are about little Italian waits
who crept into the authors heart. Two
of the stories are of incidents in the
lives of Mrs. Burnett's own boys; and
the others, while varied in subject, have
the same magic charm of disclosing the
beauty of child life with sympathy and
warmth OF feeling the secret of which
Mrs. Burnett alone seems to possess.
Mr.. Birch's illustrations portray the
heroes and heroines of Mrs. Burnett's
stories with clear insight into the
beauty of character, as we'll as grace Of
person, which they typify.
x*x
Grammercy Park, by John Seymour
Wood. This tale, although rather loud,
is true to certain phases of life, and
points the moral that young married
people with more pride than principle
as most young married people are,
should not allow themselves to be apart
from their respective consorts until they
have acquired all the conjugal virtues.
Good tendencies are born in many
people, but whoever leans upon
tendency as if it were virtue is likely
to be left sadly behind in any race with
the devil. Grammercy Park is cleverly