Evening star., 1937-12-11
Purchasing
Books for
Children
Tastes and Reading
Habits Must Be
Considered.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

A BOOK for Christmas, of course,
no matter how many other gifts
are found on the tree good book
among the presents is taken as a
matter Of course, and too often the
result indicates that fact. In the hur-
ry and fatigue of shopping the book is
remembered. And oh, yes, he must
have a book
What book? That must be answered
according to the tastes and reading
habits of the child. Try to get him
his own sort of book Don't give a
construction series to child who
never works with his hands if he can
help it, and, by the same token, don't
give fairy tale to a child who loves
to read maps and blueprints and is a
stern realist generally.
After deciding which division Of the
book store to visit, have in mind the
one best book for this particular child
Look over what he has and try to
make a real addition to it. Go over
the list of standard favorites: Mother
Goose" "Aesop's Fables" "Pinocchio," :"
"Anderson's Fairy Tales" Treasure
Island" and Captains Courageous, :"
"Brer Rabbit" and THE Wind in the
Willows" 'Rebecca of Sunnybrook
Farm" and Little Women" the Die
tionary, the Bible and Shakespeare.
These belong, somewhere, between in
fancy and college entrance.
For the new books the list is too
long; the very best way is to take the
child along to the bookshop and let
him look over the lot and take his
pick. Do this for two important rea-
sons-the child learns to 60 to the
bookshop, and he learns to select his
own book That trip will be as good
as the gift itself, giving the child
double value.
Don't buy book because it is cheap
A good book may be cheap one
often is, but its cheapness is not the
reason for buying it. The good the
reader Is going to get out of the book
is what decides its value. good book
is cheap at any price. I could wish
that all good books were cheap but
good things come high most of the
time. Still if you look you will find
that the publishers have sent out some
lovely books at very low prices BY
that / mean books priced under 50.
I've just seen some lovely ones for
little children priced at IS cents. Good
stories, good paper and good, clear
print. You couldn't ask for more.
Don't buy book for child be-
cause it Is q good book for you.
What looks good for you, what you
enjoyed long ago, what the librarian
and the teacher and publisher agree
is a good book, may not be the good
book for the child who is to own it..
Consult him. Take him along and
give him the JOY of picking out his
own and YOU will be sure that he has
one gift that is lust what he
wanted"
What we are trying to do when we
give child book is to give him the
benefit OF fine habit-reading. If
we are to succeed we must give the
book the child likes to read. If we
get him the wrong one We are not
going to train him to like reading
books. This year book-buying for
children is easier than ever, so there
should be no mistakes, no sad-faced
children saying, Pooh. Just an old
dry book. Who wants that?" Just take
him along and let him choose his own
MIR. Patri will give personal atten-
ton to inquiries from parents and
school teachers on the care and de-
velopment Of children. Write him in
care Of this paper, inclosing a Scent
stamped. self-addressed envelope for
reply.
/ Copyright, 1877