The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-12-20
SONNY BOY" SCORES SUCCESS

SONNY BOY" SCORES SUCCESS
Ella Bentley Arthur's Charming Lit
tie Wild Animal Classic for Chit
dren Highly Praised by Critics
Among Six Best Sellers.
In the Literary Digest's review Of
the forty best books for children pub
Ished during the year, Sonny Boys
Day ait the Zoo," written by Ella
Bentley Arthur, of New Orleans, was
! placed at the head of the list. It
IS the aim Of the Literary Digest to
catalog each year, among the many
children's books published, those it
can recommend as deserving the
Christmas-giver's attention. and it
is particularly gratifying to the
| friends of Mr.. and Mrs. Arthur that
their little Wild animal classic for
children is meeting with such sue
cess not alone from critics, but from
the buying public as we'll.
The Literary Digest, in review
ing Sonny Boys Day at the zoo,"
said in it's issue of Dec. 6:
The whole scheme of this book
| is novel The writer OF the verses
and the taker of the pictures have
a little boy who is On speaking terms
| with all the animals at the Bronx
Park Zoo in New York city. The
| camera has caught this little fellow
standing before the cages Of his
friends intent on fathoming their in
nermost secrets as they pace up and
down before the iron bars. That the
| little fellow sometimes had fears that
the bars would not be strong enough
| to hold the fiercest of his friends is
very well indicated by his hesita-
| ton before the lions cage. But on
| llne whole his pictures indicate per-
feet confidence that they would not
eat him if they were free. The
| book is an excellent pictorial guide
to star places at the Zoo
| The December Photo-Era, one Of
the leading Photographic magazines
| Of the world praised Sonny Boys
Day at the Zoo" most highly. In
these days of higher education for
children said Wilfred A. French,
the editbr in writing his review of
| the book, when SO much is done
to make the acquiring OF knowledge
| a pleasure, the camera plays a con-
splcuous part.
40 lnsJll III the child sympathet-
| ic> interest and kindly feeling for ami
4uaIs is generally regarded as a duty,
rs this apparently reverse process Is
known to ensure a stronger anS
more enduring love, at least consider
| alton, Of mankind. It is, therefore,
a distinct pleasure TO become &C
quainted with so instructive and en-
pertaining an animal book for little
loIk as che JOINT production of the
| ArthUrs
The verses are exquisite and
naive without being frivolous or silly.
They make an instant appeal to the
little ones, supported as they are by
| admirable photographs Of animals in
their most attractive moods and COM
/ ,jlned with the eager little figure of
Sonny Boy. In many instances the
| photographer must have worked I'M
| der great disadvantages, but patience
and skill won the day. The book is
worthy place on the table where
ever mere are little folk
/ The New Orleans .Picayune OF
| Thursday says: The juvenile book,
Sonny Boys Day at the Zoo" writ.
ten by Ellie Bentley Arthur, of New
| Orleans, is numbered among the six
best sellers Of the season two weeks
before Christmas. This is the first
time in years a child's book has reach
ed the front ranks Of popular books.
The Century Company exhausted its
big first edition and & second and
larger one is just off the press to
fill the avalanche of orders from all
over the country.
Last week not a copy of Sonny
Boy could be purchased in New Or.
leans, New York, Chicago and other
large cities, but before the end of the
present week the local book sellers
will have another stock Of this little
wild animal classic of childhood
Not only has this New Orleans au.
thor's book proven popular with the
/ Christmas shopper as the right thing
for the children, but the critics of the
country have praised the book I'm.
stintingly. The Literary Digest placed
it first among tie forty best books
published for children" and the Re;
view of Reviews, the New Yorh
Times, Sun, Herald and other critics
hailed it as Ct book Of great clever
ness and Of decided educational
value.