The Arbuthnot Anthology of Children's Literature [antikvár]

PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION The Arbuthnot Anthology was originally planned as a source book for classes in children's literature and as a collection of materials to be enjoyed with children in groups or individually. Like the first three editions, the Fourth Edition offers a balanced selection of different types of literature for children of all ages and a wide range of styles and subjects for their differing tastes. The book contains a great variety of poems, folk tales, modern fantasy, myths, epics, fables, realistic stories, historical fiction, biography, and informational writing. They are funny, provocative, tender, informative, exciting; there are old favorites and delightful new authors. Few activities, whether in the home, the library, or the classroom, are as rewarding as reading aloud, which brings listeners closer to each other and to the reader as they share a selection, and which can be a door to further inquiry, a stimulus for discussion, and an invitation to read more of the work of an individual author. The selections in this revision are grouped into three main parts —Part One, Time for Poetry; Part Two, Time for Magic: Old and New; Part Three, Time for Reahsm: Facts and Fiction. Part One, Time for Poetry, includes over 500 poems. Many of them are from the third edition and were originally in Time for Poetry,^ compiled by May Hill Arbuthnot and Shelton L. Root, Jr. A fresh group of poems and poets have been added in the Fourth Edition, with selections that include traditional and contemporary writing as well as fine poems in English 'Scott, Forestnan, 1968 translation. These new poems represent urban and ethnic voices heard increasingly in poetry for young people. Inevitably, some poems from the earlier edition have had to be omitted to make space for the new. Part Two, Time for Magic: Old and New, is a collection of folk tales, fables, myths, epics, hero tales, and modern fantasy. Many of the selections are from the third edition, which drew on Time for Old Magic^ and Time for New Magic,^ compiled by Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mark Taylor. In this Fourth Edition the large collection of folklore from around the world has been enriched with the addition of several new tall tales and a black tale from the United States, an American Indian story, and folk tales from Africa, Estonia, Latvia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Uruguay, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Canada. Part Two also contains a rich collection of fantasy. The selections include short stories as well as excerpts from longer works. As in Part One, Time for Poetry, selections often fit into more than one category; animal stories may have elements of enchantment, tales of enchantment may also be humorous, humorous tales may also be science fiction. An effort has been made here and throughout the Fourth Edition to represent new materials and contemporary authors; there are old favorites like E. B. White's Charlotte's Web or stories by Hans Christian Andersen and new favorites like Rich- zscott, Foresman, 1970 »Scott, Foresman, 1971 THE ARBUTHNOT ANTHOLOGY VII PREFACE