FOREWORD

THE stories used in the Story Hour Readers were written for the purpose of establishing the reading habit early in life, through the interest they may arouse. Their content is within the comprehension of the youngest child, who will read eagerly about his friends in the folklore world.

Mother Goose rhymes and folklore tales are used extensively.

Young children live over again the activities of primitive man. Everything is concrete and alive to them, but abstract ideas are beyond their comprehension. Therefore, the stories selected are full of life and of the activities that appeal to childhood.

Dialogue and dramatic action are great sources of delight, and are very valuable during the early days of school life, as they are play and represent the other natural activities of children.

Long descriptions are unnecessary in a child's book. They have been omitted, because the imagination of a child fills the void which needs explanation to the adult.

The rhythm of the jingle is irresistible. Its mingling of sense and nonsense arouses the imagination of children, and its fascination appeals even to the slowest pupils, who might not respond to less exciting stimuli. For this reason jingles precede most of the stories in the first and second books, and are associated with them. Jingles are used also for basic work in phonetics during the first half year. The moral of a story is obvious to a child, and the adult's