A Kindergarten Story Book: The Favorite Childhood Stories

It is the author's aim in this collection to furnish stories for the child that shall be short, simple in form and familiar in subject, that shall contain much repetition, rhythm, dramatic possibility, alliteration, and also onomatopoetical and imaginative qualities, all of which the young child craves in the literature which is presented to him. The writer has striven to avoid elaborate introductions, long and intricate descriptions, and all those characteristics from which the child instinctively turns. The matter here presented naturally falls under three heads: first, original stories; secondly, favorite childhood stories rewritten; thirdly, adaptations of popular tales. Nearly all of the purely original stories are based upon some of the more vital motifs to be found in the best of our fairy lore. Of the favorite childhood stories, "Billy Bobtail" is evidently founded upon "The Bremen Town-Musicians"; and, as it is given here, it is an adaptation of a story heard frequently during the writer's childhood. It will readily be seen that "Kid Would Not Go" is only another form of "The Old Woman and Her Pig," and that "Fox Lox" is identical with the tale of "Chicken Little." "The Wee, Wee Woman" is supposedly an adaptation of the old English story of "Teeny Weeny." It is given here in the form in which it was told to the author by a friend. "The Little Long Tail" will be recognized by many as a prime favorite of their early childhood. In the three stories from Grimm it has been the aim to simplify, to shorten, and to eliminate all objectionable qualities; as, for instance, the cruel step-mother element to be found in the original Cinderella. The two stories from Mrs. Ewing and the adaptation of Saintine's "Picciola" have proved fascinating to the childish audiences to which they have been presented. Simplicity of form and language makes it possible for the teacher not only to tell the stories contained in this collection, but also to read them to the children, with good effect. Some of the tales, notably the favorite childhood stories rewritten, may be placed in the hands of the children themselves, to be used in the primary grades as supplementary reading material. This little volume is the result of several years of practical experience, and it is hoped that it will prove a valuable addition to the story repertoire of kindergartners and primary teachers.