The San Francisco call., 1903-12-20


on those early Christmas mornings Of
the far away past. Books will go into
those piles. Books should go into those
piles, and lots Of them.
In summer the small boy is certain
that Fourth OF July is the holiday par
excellence. but as the sun begins to
hang lower and the crisp mornings
commence 20 come visions OF Christ
mas begin TO loom larger and more
large IN his head until on that fateful
eve. when there are so many bulky
packages in the hall window box and
he IS sent. upstairs to bed earlier than
usual, he is positive that there is no
day in the whole year like Christmas.
Really he is right, for there is no time
for the children like good old Decem-
Der 25. In the early morning there are
the toys, the games and the candy,
then the wild hallos and horn blowings
IN the streets and finally after the din
ner there is the comfortable curling up
su the big chair over near the window
with the new book propped on knee.
The toys get the first notice. but the
Christmas book is the last love and the
strongest.
Yearly the great harvest OF Christ
mas books for the young folks is be-
coming more and more rich and OF
widely varying kind. For the toddlers
OF 3 and there are colored pictures
worthy Of a frame OF old oak and
place in the library; your boy and
girl receive gilt and leather bound
volumes which their elders hardly
dare touch without a caution. Yer
fly this is the day Of the youngster.
Perhaps the most beautiful speci-
men Of q child's book which has come
out this Christmas season is The
Book OF the Child" by Jessie Wilcox
Smith and Elizabeth Shippen Green,
the two standard illustrators Of chill
dren. Beautiful color plates of unus-
uaI size depict IN the remarkably life
like style Of the two artists the many
little tragedies and comedies OF a day
in q little ones life. A quaint illu-
minated text accompanies the illustra-
tons.
Under other covers Miss Jessie Will
cox Smith gives US Rhymes Of Real
Children in an equally charming
style. Here Miss Smith interprets in
color the amusing little children's
verses supplied by Betty Sage. The
verses are not too old to interest a
six-year-old and yet every one Of
them causes a smile to come to the
lips OF the "grown-up" who reads
them.
Stin, for the very young folks there
are a half-dozen more of these serio-
comic picture books, which seem sud-
denly 10 have sprung into pop
ularaty with the infants. There is The
Life Of a Wooden Doll" by Lewis Sax
by, wherein that spirited individual ap-
pears in the various scenes devised for
her by her small mistress. She is evil
IDENTIFY a good housekeeper, with task
for every day; she amuses herself fash
ionably, receives her stiff-legged guests
with q pleasing lockwood smile and is
the possessor Of a stuffed cat, remark
able for her geniality. Then there are
the ever fresh Denslow's picture books.
with their uproarious picture mirth.
THE Golliwogs Circus" presents those
Interesting citizens IN new pranks for
the delight Of their young admirers.
LII Verses for LII Fellers," by George
We're Hobart, will make good rocking
chair songs when the sandman comes
around.
In the realms Of fairy there are plen-
ty Of tempting volumes for little girls.
and boys, too. who have yet to see their
first suspenders. "Wally Walderoon,"
by Joel Chandler Harris, tells Of a little
old man who possesses the wonderful
storytelling machine. Sweetest Su-
SAN" Buster Brown" and all Of the
rest OF Harris dream children pay
WaIly a visit and hear the magic of his
magical contraption. Mrs. Carter Har-
rison has written particularly dainty
book called 1.-The Star Fairies" in
which there are TO be found a half
dozen tales of all sorts of elves and
fays. six Giants and a Griffin" by
Birdsan Otis Edey, is not half so ter
rifying a story as would be imagined
from the title. The giants all belong to
the union, hence are good giants.
For the growing boy who would
scorn a fairy book as being sissy"
the Christmas output Of the publish
ers offers a wide choice. Perhaps the
best books one can put into a grow
ing boys hands are Following the
Deer and "A Little Brother to the
Bear" by William ]. Long. In these
books. as in his other nature studies,
Long puts before the eyes Of his read
ers the plain, unvarnished life Of the
woods in such a manner as to cause a
strong feeling of kinship with these
vfldlings to spring up in the heart Of
any healthy minded boy or man. After
reading these books, to shoot down
one OF the four-footed would seem a
sacrilege. "Four-Footed Trails" by
Mabel Osgood Wright, is equally as
good a book OF the same type.
Edwyn Sandy's '"Trapper Jim" may
safely be termed the new book for boys
Of greatest practical value and useful
ness. THE best book for boys on the
grand outdoors is a phrase frequently
employed by the books reviewers. Mr..
.N