New-York tribune., 1908-12-12
HOLIDAY BOOKS.
Prose, Verse and Pictures for LattLe
Readers.
Readers.

1t is difficult to draw the line between the
surnrisinslv active minds of American children
and to say Of given book, This Is for chiIo
of seven lively years." This is for tnlr-
teenth meditative birthday; but the books men
toned below may be said to suit the tastes oi
bows and girls from six to ten or Twelve yeas
old Books about animal life please them all
One of the most captivating publications Oh Liie
season is Professor Vernon @. Kellogg's insect
e+oriesr Henry Holt & Coz. These sketches OF
the daily lives of ants. spiders and other CAN
fornian insects are as picturesquely amusing
as they are scientifically accurate Sluplo III
deed must be the child who does not hahe ao-
sorbed over these romances or reaIltS' an
agreea BILE mixture of science, familiar descrlp-
ton and anecdote is to be found In MI Chdiles
r knights Animals Of the World (FreueIIch
p. Stokes Company The volume has no fewer
than forty excellent color plates. and an intro
duction by Mr. Tudor jerks. Tan and Tickle
C1eming H Reven Company is a delightful
little story by Mr. Charles Lee Bryson. The
hero and heroine are two affectionate and tInld
field mice and the little story circulates around
them and their woodland neighbors IN very
attractive fashion An uncomnoIIy Interest
ing animal biography is MI Clarence HAWK
''Black Bruin' George W. Jacobs & COZ. 1t
is the story of d big black bear VINO Is not Will
out his good traits. and who, between MS Daoy-
under the prOteCUOn OF d human AA444A-''
and the final wild freedom of his maturity IN
the v,oods has a checkered life. The greater
mart of the book is sufficiently true to nature
Mrs IIIy F. WesseIhoeft has added TO her story
books about dogs another, entitled "RoVer' the
Farm Dog" CLt.tle, Brown & Coz. Dogs pre-
dominate in me list of characters. but there
are enough humans for variety Of incident. II
is g pleasant book, teaching many lessons OF
kindness and gentleness The Good Wolf
CMoffat, Yard & Coz is quaint Itue sIoly
nv Frances Hodgson Burnett The wolf, as de-
scrtbed by the author and pictured by Mr. Har-
old Sichel, is a creature OF almost celesClai
aroiability-even more sugar coated than the
foster family Of Mowgli-and Bartholomew
Herbert Hubert ElIecompane, the little hero Is
a most winning child. book Of animal stories
calculated to delight most children is Old Man
Coyote' Ct Y. Croweu & Coz, by Clara Kern
Ravliss These are genuine Indian legends
such as have long been told In the W1gwarn-
Coyote is a shrewd and naughty and daredev-
lfsh creature and his adventures are always IN
teresting.
One Of the most agreeable Of books for the
very Young person is Elizabeth Weston Timlow's
HThe April Fool Twins" (E. p Dutton & Coz.
There Is humor in 1t and good sense, and gen
erous kindness and pointed morals-and 1t never
flies over the head OF that young person. There
ia hunaor, too, in Mrs. Elizabeth Lincoln Gould's
book Barbara and the Five Little Purrs" CH
NJ Caldwell Company. If anything could be
more charming than the story about the Persian
ca+s-N1ue. Purr the sensible mother, Mr.. Purr.
the father, who goes off to the Alley Wars, and
the baby Purrs-it is the collection Of bewitch-
ing cat portraits by Miss Josephine Bruce. Queen
Crosspatch a fairy lady who is not forgotten by
her young friends of former years, appears
again in Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnetts book,
The Spring Cleaning" (The Century Company.
# is a dainty story of primrose time, and II Is
beautifully illustrated by Mr.. Harrison Cady.
A touching story full of suggestions Of a-fec-
ton and helpfulness is THE Christmas Makers
Club" O.. c. Page & Coz, by Edith a. Sawyer,
It's plot may be rather conventional but IT is
worked out with so much cleverness that every
page is interesting Both boys and girls will
enjoy It
Mr.. w o. Stoddard's little book, In the
Open" (Harper & Bros), contains fifteen bright
and wholesome stories of outdoor life One Of