Study Guide: Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)

Fun and Thought for Little Folk

Book Overview

This volume represents a curated anthology of children’s literature from the early twentieth century, designed to provide both entertainment and moral instruction for young readers. The compilation draws from diverse sources and traditions, presenting a rich tapestry of nursery rhymes, fairy tales, animal stories, lullabies, and verse that reflects the pedagogical values and literary tastes of its era.

Part One: Character Lessons Through Classic Nursery Rhymes

The Humble Path to Wisdom

The opening chapters establish foundational themes through reimagined nursery rhyme traditions. The famous Humpty Dumpty episode receives expanded treatment, with the fallen character offering philosophical reflections on humility and the wisdom gained through misfortune. Humpty Dumpty’s admonition that “humble seats are the safest choice” represents a direct moral lesson embedded within familiar characters, teaching children the value of self-awareness regarding personal limitations. The broader observation that “not all individuals possess the necessary attributes to achieve certain feats” reinforces themes of temperance and honest self-assessment.

A complementary verse celebrates patience as a pathway to advancement, suggesting that those who remain content in humble positions will eventually rise to positions of authority. This optimistic message about gradual ascent through perseverance offers children an encouraging framework for understanding effort and reward.

The chapter also presents playful parodies of established nursery rhymes, including fresh interpretations of the Queen of Hearts’ pastry adventures and Old King Cole’s midnight revelries, demonstrating how traditional forms can be adapted for new generations while maintaining their essential charm.

Part Two: An Anthology of Verse and Prose for Young Readers

Nursery Rhymes and Jingles

The collection presents an extensive catalog of traditional nursery rhymes and original compositions designed to teach counting, days of the week, and basic behavioral lessons through memorable verse. Classic selections include “Sing a Song of Sixpence” with its famous pie of twenty-four blackbirds, playful counting verses like “Over in the Meadow,” and cumulative tales that build through incremental addition.

Several original compositions by named authors appear alongside traditional material. Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Sweet and Low” offers a refined lullaby suitable for bedtime reading, while William Wordsworth’s “The Kitten and the Falling Leaves” demonstrates how nature poetry could be adapted for young audiences. The selection of “Sleepy-Time Songs and Stories” reveals a deliberate organization toward the chapter’s purpose of soothing children toward rest, with stories like “The Go-Sleep Story” employing cumulative structures where animals arrive one by one to check on a sleeping child.

Fairy Tales and Folk Narratives

The compilation draws extensively from European folk traditions, presenting classic tales in accessible adaptations for children. “The House That Jack Built” exemplifies the cumulative tale form, where each verse adds a new element to a chain of causation, teaching children narrative logic through repetition. “The Old Woman and Her Pig” follows a similar structure, with an old woman’s pig refusing to cross a stile, triggering a chain of negotiations through animal and natural intermediaries.

“The Lambikin” presents a more dramatic folk tale in which a clever lamb escapes predators by hiding within a drum made from his brother’s skin, demonstrating the value of wit in dangerous situations. “Henny-Penny,” a cautionary tale about a chicken who believes the sky is falling and leads her friends to a foxy demise, teaches children about the dangers of credulity and misplaced trust.

“The Little Red Hen,” adapted from traditional sources, shows a resourceful bird outwitting a fox by switching herself with a stone in the predator’s bag, highlighting the rewards of cleverness over brute strength. The shoemaker who prospers when helpful elves complete his nightly work, and who repays their labor with tiny garments, illustrates the importance of gratitude and reciprocal generosity.

Part Three: Animals and Adventures

Forest Friends and Forest Foes

A substantial narrative thread follows the adventures of Fuzzy Wuz, a white rabbit, and her companion Chatter Chuk, a red squirrel, as they explore the dangers and wonders of their woodland home. Their encounter with Juggerjook, a feared forest magician whose den contains the bleached bones of those who approached without gifts, teaches children about respecting boundaries and the consequences of curiosity. The story progresses to reveal how Rabbit Mother rescues her daughter from a trap, demonstrating maternal devotion and the value of friendship despite initial betrayal, when the compassionate boy Charlie releases all three animals after observing the marks of their cooperative struggle.

“The Wee Hare and the Red Fire” presents a cautionary tale within this animal cycle, warning children about the dangers of fire and the importance of heeding parental advice. Wee Hare’s disobedience in seeking the mysterious red bush leads to being lost in a snowstorm, only finding his way home when wind and moon provide assistance after his sincere regret for not following instructions.

The Little Walk

A charming sequence shows a little girl and boy who set out for a walk, inviting every animal they encounter—a dog, cat, rooster, duck, and pig—to join their procession. Each animal responds with its characteristic sound when greeted, and the growing company makes its way down the road until an old cow cannot join them because she cannot open the pasture bars. The children’s generous offer to let the bars down allows all animals, including those perched atop the cow, to visit the pasture together. This simple story celebrates inclusivity, cooperation, and the joy of shared adventure.

Adventures of Children

Several narratives center on children’s misadventures and the lessons they learn. “Little Tommy Tinker’s Monday Morning” humorously chronicles a boy’s mysterious ailment called “I Don’t Want To” and its cure, “But You’ve Got To,” introducing children to the concept that responsibilities cannot be avoided through feigned illness. The tale of the donkey Barney who runs away, only to trap himself by running into a swinging gate, offers slapstick comedy while teaching that escape from home leads to trouble.

Part Four: Fairy Tales and Their Meanings

Thumbelina

Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved tale of the tiny girl born from a magical barley-corn receives extended treatment within the collection. The narrative follows Thumbelina’s kidnapping by an ugly toad, her rescue by fishes who free her floating leaf, and her subsequent ordeal among chafers who reject her for her appearance. Her refuge with the kind field-mouse, where she must perform housekeeping duties, leads to an arranged marriage with a wealthy but blind and sun-hating mole. The tale’s climax arrives when Thumbelina’s secret care of a wounded swallow throughout winter earns her the bird’s gratitude and rescue. The swallow carries her to warm countries where a flower-spirit prince makes her his queen and grants her wings, symbolizing how kindness and faithful performance of invisible duties can transform one’s circumstances entirely.

The Gingerbread Boy

The classic chase narrative presents a gingerbread boy who jumps from the oven and runs away, taunting his pursuers as he evades the old man, the old woman, barn full of threshers, field mowers, cow, and pig. His encounter with a fox proves his undoing, as his repeated boasting—“but here I come!”—continues even as the fox methods grows more convincing. The tale teaches that pride in one’s accomplishments can lead to carelessness and downfall.

Part Five: Poetry and Verse Collections

Nature and Seasons

The anthology includes numerous poems celebrating the natural world as perceived through a child’s eyes. “The Child and the World” captures the wonder of discovering a sparrow’s nest and declaring the world “the loveliest that ever was seen.” “Evening Song” by C. Frances Alexander compares the sleep of children to that of animals, arguing that while birds are merry on trees and lambs are happy in meadows, they possess “play and pleasure, but not love like ours,” celebrating the special bond between children and their mothers.

Fairy Folklore

Several poems explore the fantastical realm of fairy folk who visit sleeping children. Robert Bird’s “The Fairy Folk” describes green-cloaked, red-capped visitors on crimson moths who whisper tender words to fill children’s minds with dreams. Thomas Hood’s “Queen Mab” presents a more morally structured fantasy in which good children receive pleasant dreams while naughty children suffer nightmares of lions, tigers, and dragons, providing gentle encouragement toward good behavior through the mechanism of supernatural reward and punishment.

Lullabies

The collection presents a rich tradition of bedtime poetry, including traditional pieces like “Hush-a-Bye Baby” with its ominous image of a baby in a treetop cradle, alongside refined compositions like “Sweet and Low” with its silver-sail imagery. Regional variations appear, including Richard Henry Buck’s “Kentucky Babe” with its Southern dialect and distinctive imagery of hunting possums and warning against the “bogie man.”

Part Six: Stories of Friendship and Family

Sibling and Companion Tales

“About Six Little Chickens” follows Mother Biddy’s hatched brood as they discover their reflections in a brook, each seeing themselves as they truly are. “The Kitten That Forgot How to Mew” traces how a kitten living among dogs gradually loses her ability to speak, only finding restoration through the intervention of a wise older cat, symbolizing the importance of maintaining one’s identity within challenging environments.

Lessons in Generosity

The story of Doris who wastes her first dollar on cheap toys and candy that disappoint, then learns through her mother’s guidance to make thoughtful purchases with her second dollar, teaches practical wisdom about spending and lasting value. Her discovery that discounted roller skates and a fire-damaged but readable book provide more satisfaction than momentary pleasures demonstrates how delayed gratification yields greater rewards.

Cross-Cultural Encounters

“A Dutch Treat” follows Katharine Easton from New York as she overcomes her homesickness and snobbery toward Dutch children and their wooden shoes through a harrowing adventure in which she falls from a dike in fog and is rescued by Dame Donk. Her eventual declaration that she loves Holland and its children shows how challenging experiences can transform prejudice into genuine appreciation.

Part Seven: Learning Through Play

Counting and Alphabet Rhymes

The collection presents extensive materials for early learning through verse. Counting rhymes like “1, 2, 3, 4, 5” teach basic enumeration through playful narratives, while more complex verses like “Over in the Meadow” introduce counting through increasingly large families of animals up to twelve. The alphabet receives extensive treatment through various forms, from practical lists pairing letters with common words to whimsical compositions by Edward Lear featuring nonsensical characters for each letter.

The “Child Health Alphabet” by Mrs. Frederick Peterson demonstrates how educational content could be organized alphabetically, teaching children about nutrition, hygiene, and healthy habits through memorable verse associations.

Everyday Verses

A substantial section addresses practical behavioral lessons through verse, covering topics from “A Little Gentleman” who learns to pick up dropped items for his mother, to “Whispering in School” explaining why constant chatter would overwhelm a schoolroom. The “Days of the Week” section assigns different activities to each day, teaching children the rhythm of weekly routines while “Days of Birth” offers folk wisdom about traits associated with different birth days.

Part Eight: Thematic Summary

Recurring Literary Forms

The compilation demonstrates several storytelling structures prized for their educational value. Cumulative tales build through incremental addition, helping children follow logical progressions and remember narrative elements. Repetitive verse forms allow memorization while providing the satisfaction of predictable patterns. Dialogues between personified animals or objects create opportunities for moral instruction through dramatized examples.

Core Values and Themes

Throughout the collection, several themes recur: the virtue of obedience to parental guidance, the rewards of cleverness over force, the importance of gratitude for kindness received, and the value of patience and perseverance over hasty action. Stories involving animals frequently use anthropomorphic characters to teach children about safety, cooperation, and appropriate behavior in social situations.

The lullaby and bedtime poetry sections reveal a deliberate attention to the emotional needs of children, providing soothing imagery and gentle narratives that ease the transition to sleep while instilling a sense of security and love.

This anthology stands as a comprehensive record of early twentieth-century approaches to children’s literature, combining entertainment with instruction in a format designed to engage young readers while imparting practical wisdom about conduct, cooperation, and the natural world.

This comprehensive children’s literature collection draws from folk traditions, original compositions, and classic fairy tales to provide young readers with entertainment, moral instruction, and cultural knowledge appropriate to the early twentieth century.