The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-03-10
CHILDREN
CHOOSE BOOKS
WITH CARE
MANY Factors Enter Into Sc
lection by Children of
Books at Libraries
COLOR, PRINT FACTORS
(By the Associated Press


Johnny selects his library books
with meticulous care, often spending
more time in making sure that he
has the book that he wants than he
does in reading it, while his mother
sends him down for "a book in Il RED
cover to match the parlor table run
ner or simply sends note: Dear
Librarian: Please give Johnny
book for me to read over the week
end" says review OF library usage
made by the university OF North
Dakota extension division.
The extension service, after asking
several North Dakota librarians how
children choose books, as compared
to the methods used in this operation
by their elders, finds that boys and
girls spend hours between the stacks
while the older folks grab the first
book with an appealing title or have
the Librarian guide their reading.
After Johnny has received the book
his mother had the librarian pick
out for her, he goes downstairs to
the children's department where he
knows the section in which the
types Of books he likes are kept.
Then he goes systematically down
the rows, taking out book at
time.
According to the librarian who
gave the extension information on
the subject, he, in some marvellous
fashion, can tell Ut q glance whether
book holds interest for him. If it
does, it goes on pile mentally tag
ged "probable' When he has half
dozen probable" selections, he
goes to the table, looks them all
through and decides on the best two
or three.
Mechanical makeup governs to q
large extent Johnny'S choice, the eN
tension service found. the book
must be illustrated, written in the
first person; its pages must show
plenty OF white space-that is have
lots Of conversation; the print mus
be fairly large; and the book mus
be of moderate size.
If two books have all these char
acteristics the one with the more at
tractive cover will be che one Johnn
takes home.
Although the titles and stories ar
new, the same general type Of stor
les that held the parents and grand
parents, are the favorites today, az
cording to the review The fairy tai
and its relatives rank first in popl
lurity; close upon these follow tn
adventure stories and travel stori,
of children in foreign lands We
found to be third. A newcomer
juvenile fiction is the book fro
which motion picture has been Ia
en-.
Childrens books must have actio
their views to the Librarians indicat
They return book with the stat
ment This is u good one, "lots
pep" or II didn't like this one
well-no pep"
Besides action, the books that a
favorably reported back to the libra
ians are those ending happily. I
young reader don't like a book tn
presents q problem and leaves it u
answered or unsolved with the
ward hanging in mid-air.
The series books, those that ha
young So-andSo on the Waite
Young So-and-So in the Al
Young So-and-So in the Jungi
ETC., are scarcely seen on the libra
shelves, because when one youngs'
brings back his or her book, a co
panion is in tow who has been t
Of the wonders Of the particu
episode and Immediately takes
book out.
Profusely illustrated books, 8,
as those portraying modern news
per comic strip characters, also co
in for a goodly share of thumb
according to the review of the ju
nile library situation.
1t states that girls often like
books written especially to please
boy readers, while boys seld
brouse in the stacks of girls boo
The youngest reader lispingly
quires for readers, in which sh
stories in shorter sentences,
marked by many illustrations of g
mails. "A young man or woman
six or seven acquires tremend
self respect and confidence in
ceiving, reading and returning S
Volumes" the review says.
The North Dakota librarians
the university extension service
there is little doubt but that
books available for youngsters n
adays are better than those of
terday.
Cheap paper and poor ink wi
injured the eyes, grotesque or fl