The sun., 1908-12-19
Juveniles.

street Singer uhe Penn Publishing
Company. PhiadslphiaI. He is a self
reliant street boy with a beautiful voice
and shows marked ability in foiling bur-
glars, kidnappers and other evildoers.
His successive adventures would do credit
to Bowery melodrama. but as his aims
are Iaudable they are thought suitable
for the perusal Of youth There Is some
genuine boy talk and there are some
natural people in the tale. which makes
the authors craving for sensation re-
erettable. In following the various eI-
retains his voice at the age when it cracks
IN normal boys passes unnoticed
The four young persons involved in the
adventures Of The Auto-Boys' (the
Saslfeld Publishing Company, Akron,
Ohiol are pretty natural boys. though
2 they show business capacity character
istic OF the middle West. Their reporter
friend is a pleasing young man even If
the authors ideas Of journalism are
crude The story, however. is Of crime
and detection. Why shorld literature
which is Objectionable when sold for q
dime become respectable when il is made
into q bound volume?
new craft is described in From Keel
70 Kite 0,othrop. Lee and Shepard Com
pany. Boston,, by Isabel Hornibrook.
that Of the naval architect. The young
man who is in training for that pro-
ftssion meets with man adventures 8
common to Juvenile heroes. such as
hairbreadth rescues and exhibitors Of
grit. but he also goes on a fishing cruiss
and manages to get adrift at s.a in dory
The author has accumulated an amazing
amount OF sea lore and SEA language in
Gloucester. Her story would have been
greatly improved il she had held some
of this in reserve. for the didactic side
Ii too prominent at times. Her exuberant
admiration for her hero's actions. too
would be more in place in girls story
than in one that boys are expected to
read.
The various phases through which birds
60 from the egg on to the possibility of
intelligence are described with many
Illustrative anecdotes by John Lea in
THE Romance Of Bird Life" (Seeley and
Company; j. B. Iippincott Company. 1t
II not sentimental ornithology and is not
exActly scientific information, but it is
pleasant old fashioned talk about birds
and their ways which we fancy boys will
enjoy.
Possible adventures OF two field mice
are related by Charles Lee Bryson in
tan and Tickle" (Fleming II. Revell
Company aud Charles Livingstone Bull
has Illustrated them In so far rs they
and the other animals they meet have a
certain personality ascribed to them they
must be, perhaps. branded as nature fakes
but the adventures are only those that
may occur in the natural course. and the
emotions such as it is conceivable they
may feel. Children will like the story.
A small boys Christmas dream is told
by Mr.. Thomas Nelson Page in Tommy
Trot's Visit to Santa Claus Charles
scrihner's Sons). It is a harnlessly
pretty story with the strongly impressed
moral that little boys should be careful
Of their belongings and should have
thought for others. We feel rather sorry
{ for Mr. Pages Tommy He is a nice
little boy with q papa who seems not to
feirember his own hoyhood too vividly.
z in a Venture in iT77" George ".
Jacobs and Company. Philadelphia, DR.
3. Weir Mitchell evolves a legend about
Valley Forge IL is at times necessary
TO sacrifice honor to patriotism. but the
spy side OF war is not the most edfyinr
Z 10 get before youth.
Clever and pretty pictures by Millicent
eowerty adorn the verses in which Githa
sowerby tells the nonsense story of THE
Bumbletoes- tChatto and Windus: Dufield
and Company. All the pictures are good.
but those in color are artistic and charm
ing.
An archaeological allegory containing
much information about birds throughout
the year, Father Crow and His Grew,
by Franklin H. Olmsted (B W. Dodge
and Company. is illustrated with ex-
celient pictures and decorations by T.
Gilbert White. Mr.. Whites animals are
very funny.
Pursuing his patriotic course Of repeat
ing naval exploits in fiction Mr. John De
Morgan proceeds To the sea fights Of
Old Ironsides (McLoughlin Brothers.
New York; The historical side is better
than the authors inventions. but in
stories OF this sort that hardly matters
Narrowing doll adventures for the very
little ones are related by Josephine Scrib-
+ HSTs odtcp III lhNc l'pIb RAY lays
The Bobbs- Merrill Company, Indian
apoist It is gratifying to learn that the
iniqiities OF Teddy bears are bringing
them into disfavor. The pictures by
Mildred Keep are very good.
macs of information about Christmas
and the customs Of the season, all OF a
rather elementary character. has been
gathered in The Christmas Book" by
Jane A. Stewart (the Griffith and Rowland
Z Press, Philadelphia), II answers great
many questions that arise. though not
with all the fulness or precision desirable.
The average reader will be satisfied
with it,
One OF the Myriad Sides Of Rome.
There are happy personally conducted
tourists who have done Rome to their
own satisfaction IN a day, but travellers
who have any real interest in the city.
whether the time at their disposal is weeks
or months or years, come away with the
knowledge that they have seen little Of
all there is IN he seen and learned. even
when they have confined themselves to
a single speciality. In the field Of archR-
oloRy. in which there has been much
activity OF late years, IL is difficult 10 keep
lack Of the new discoveries. whether in
The classical or the Christian field. II
is a great service, therefore, that Prof