Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-12-13

BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG
OF BOTH SEXES
about Birds and the Var and
Heroes and HeroineS and
Other Things

J. Walker McSpadden, who is one
of the most popular of popularizers, y
and who has condensed Shakespeare and
Dickens andh opera librettos and many
another author of interest has fol-
lowed his customary method Of concise
yet graphic presentation in The Boys
Book of Famous Soldiers" Among his
subjects are Washington, Grant, Lee,
Napoleon, Wellington, Gordon, Roberts:
Kitchener, and of the recent world
war, Haig, Joffre. Foch and Pershing:
Mr., McSradden Incorporates a good
deal of useful information carefully
verified, and his book, while written in
readable style. is very free from hero
ling or the kind of mawkishness that
such books are singularly liable to.
The field of Charles II. L. Johnston s
Famous Generals of the Great War,
as the title indicates. is more restrict
ed than that of Mr.. McSpadden's work.
And Mr. Johnston just cant help SEN
timentalizing. His stories. which are
full of interesting data and rich in an
ecdotes of the subjects, very often read
like the average Sunday newspaper sup
pement's flowery and eXtravagant
character sketches of personalities which
have plunged into the news. Doubtless
military and political critics will take
exception to some of Mr.. Johnston S
appraisals. The fault. if indeed this is
a fault. in Mr.. Johnston S book is that
it has no sense of the comparative-all
is superlative. But lots of people want
their heroes 100 per cent or nothing. and
| Mr.. Johnston will satisfy them with his
percentages. 1t might be pointed out
that his estimate of Field Marshal
| French, for instance, will not be con
Cured in by the majority of British
military men or statesmen; his attacks
on the dead Kitchener have stirred big
row in British army circles, and former
Premier Asquth, who was at the head
of the government over the period when
French was failing in Flanders and
France (for which he was superseded
| by~haig). has discredited much of the
marshal's claims made in his lately pub
lished war book. In addition to such
predominant personalities of the war as
.Iofre. Foch. Albert of Belgium, Perish
ing. Haig and Diaz. sketches, very val
liable. are given of Petain. Allenby,
| D'Espery. De CaStelnau, Jan SHUTS,
Stanley Maude and Julian Byng.
In "The Boys Book of Battles
Chelsea Curtis Fraser tells interestingly
the stories of eleven famous land COM
bats. They include Bunker Hill, Sara
toga. Yorktown. Austeritz. Waterloo,
Gettysburg, Sedan. Ypres, Nerdun, sec
ond Marine, Argonne- Meuse. The book
is well illustrated.
"Thornton Burgess's Book of Birds y
tells in the familiar and easy to read
style of this favorite writer for the
younger children the life stories of some
of our best known and best loved ma
tive birds. Louis Agassiz Fuertes, one
of the masters of ornithological art fur
nishes a liberal supply of lifelike illus
trations. many of them in color.
"Singing Games for Children" are
written by Eleanor Farjeon, who bases
her games on fairy legends and stories
of nature. Full directions arc given for
staging the several pieces and the metri-
cal text is literally interspersed with
singable lyrics. i. Littlejohns, r. A..
has supplied some very charming pic
lures in colors.
A classic much beloved by the Ital-
ian children is made available for their
American cousins in THE Little Lead
Soldier" The story which the writer.
Anna Franchi. has written about the
toy is full of liveliness, cd adventure.
and it is told with engaging simplicity
and with much literary distinction. :.
f. Woodruff. who has turned it into
English for the first time. has to his
credit an admirable translation, and the
illustrations by Hattie L. Price are. cf-
fective.
.pioroors of Amarica" telle in easv-
,o;n, 'VtC .tory form vet with historical
SclmS Sccnracy rv0 some bero. tales Of thc davs
ubon America was not the great 70 :
public that it has grown to be. but was
a wilderness offering opportunity to the
brave and brawny and brainy to hew
out new nation. La Sale. Boone.
Pontiac, Lewis and clark ana other
we'll known figures or the early days
appear III ins paseSS' Is uT.hI'H RniI hatb al
Alpert hlalSuell anu N. puIi, , Do.il
Tonerntion mrie, MrEM " "i''e'
s'u, 4,n1,, ,''" .r-, , - .s
Uui;a,nS >I"HIiIian His friards wore
~ l'tta,i San d., .;th liz ,noi~ +bings
for for cold sS Weather: the Boy a Thousand
Voors oId ,yho tnew almost nverv
thing: the Man With the Red Whiskers.
who was as good and kind as he was
strong; the Little Old Lady, who
wasn't so very old after all; Little
silver T .ocks inst n pIl. but HkabIe
hot haI IN u