The subject-matter is of permanent value, culled from the folk-lore of the primitive races.--Preface.
We are told The Story of the Earth and the Sky, Why the Bear has a Short Tail, Why the Cat Always Falls upon Her Feet, and many other mythical reasons for natural wonders.
Kipling, Rudyard.
Just So Stories.
Illustrated by the Author.
Doubleday. 1.20
"I keep six honest serving-men;
(They taught me all I knew)
Their names are What and Where and When
And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest.
. . . . . . . . .
But different folk have different views;
I know a person small--
She keeps ten million serving-men,
Who get no rest at all!
She sends 'em abroad on her own affairs,
From the second she opens her eyes--
One million Hows, two million Wheres,
And seven million Whys!"
To this small person, Best Beloved, these twelve remarkable tales were related. We learn how the elephant got his trunk, how the first letter came to be written, and so forth. There are two editions of the book at the same price. Most children will prefer the one in large octavo.
Murray, Hilda.
Flower Legends for Children.
Illustrated by J. S. Eland.
Longmans. 2.00