A WORD TO GROWN UPS
To you;—parents, guardians, teachers and
all others upon whom devolves the supremely important
responsibility of directing the early years of development
of childhood, this series of TUCK-ME-IN TALES which
sketch such vivid and delightful scenes of the vibrant
life of meadow and woodland should have tremendous
appeal. In this collection of stories you will
find precisely the sort of healthy, imaginative entertainment
that is an essential in stimulating thought-germs in
the child mind.
Merely from the standpoint of their desirability for
helping the growing tot to pass an idle half hour,
any one of these volumes would be worth your while.
But the author had something further than that in mind.
He has, with simplicity and grace, worthy of high
commendation, sought to convey a two-fold lesson throughout
the entire series, the first based upon natural history
and the second upon the elementary principles of living
which should be made clear to every child at the earliest
age of understanding.
The first of these aims he has accomplished by adapting
every one of his bird characters to its living counterpart
in the realm of biology. The child learns very
definite truths about which the story is woven; learns
in such a fascinating manner that he will not quickly
forget, and is brought into such pleasant intimacy
that his immediate sympathy is aroused.
The author accomplishes the purpose of driving home
simple lessons on good conduct by attributing the
many of the same traits of character to his feathered
heroes and heroines that are to be found wherever the
human race made its habitation. The praise-worthy
qualities of courage, love, unselfishness, truth,
industry, and humility are portrayed in the dealings
of the field and forest folk and the consequential
reward of these virtues is clearly shown; he also
reveals the unhappy results of greed, jealousy, trickery
and other character weaknesses. The effect is
to impress indelibly upon the imagination of the child
that certain deeds are their own desirable reward
while certain others are much better left undone.
If any further recommendation is necessary, would
it not be well to resort to the court of final appeal,
the child himself? Simply purchase a trial copy
from your bookseller with the understanding that if
it meets with the disapproval of the little man or
woman for whom it is intended, he will accept its
return.
Of course, there is a time when Jolly Robin is only
a nestling. Then one day, after he tumbles out
of the apple tree and falls squawking and fluttering
to the ground, he takes his first lesson in flying.
So pleased is Jolly to know that he can actually sail
through the air on his wings, that he goes out into
the wide, wide world to shift for himself. One
day, after advising with Jimmy Rabbit, he decides to
become general laugh-maker to the inhabitants of Pleasant
Valley, and he becomes one of Mother Nature’s
happiest little feathered folk, going about trying
to make things a bit better in the world. True,
he falls into many blunders and has many strange experiences,
but his intentions are always the best, remember.
