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Distributed for University Press of New England

A Child’s Delight

Any parent dismayed by the rows of Goosebumps books dominating the children’s sections of most bookstores, any grandparent concerned about the Nintendo induced glaze over a grandchild’s eyes, and any loving adult wishing a child to know good books will celebrate Noel Perrin’s latest collection of essays. His earlier guide to neglected adult literature, A Reader’s Delight, achieved the status of a classic, and now he has written a companion volume dedicated to children’s fiction. Perrin’s wit and engaging prose are, as always, in constant evidence, but it is his intuitive grasp of what makes a story work for children that renders this new book an essential resource for any home where books are valued. Limiting his scope to those works already overlooked or in danger of slipping from view, Perrin leads us through a wide spectrum of fiction, ranging from stories for the very youngest listeners to nuanced novels for the adolescent reader. There is something here for every child: dolls and their houses; animals of varied talents and personalities; travels through time and space; romances promised, sometimes failed, sometimes realized; castles and battling warriors; magic of familiar as well as alien worlds; historical bits woven into textured stories. Richard Adams, Leslie Brooke, Arthur Conan Doyle, Wanda Gág, Rumer Godden, Anne Lindbergh, Hugh Lofting, Jean Merrill, Ernest Thompson Seton, Margery Sharp, Dodie Smith, and others know what it feels like to be a kid in an adult world. As does Noel Perrin -- and so will the readers of A Child’s Delight.

178 pages | 5 x 8 1/2 | © 2003

Literature and Literary Criticism: General Criticism and Critical Theory


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Table of Contents

A Good Book to Read to a Two Year Old - Leslie Brook Johnny Crow’s Garden • Wanda’s Wonder-Book - Wanda Gag - Millions of Cats • The Third Grade Goes to Space - Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System • Living Dolls - Rumer Godden The Doll’s House • Boy Wants Dog - Mary Stolz A Dog on Barkham Street • Nathaniel’s Wonder-Book - Nathaniel Hawthorne A Wonder-Book for Boys and Girls and Tanglewood Tales • Living Dolls II - Mary Norton The Borrowers • A Black Planet - Virginia Hamilton The Planet of Junior Brown • The Freedom of the Woods - Ernest Thompson Seton Two Little Savages • Living Dolls III - T.H. White Mistress Masham’s Repose • Three Fine Mice - Margery Sharp The Rescuers • Two Magical Books • The Jailbird’s Daughter • Way Out West in Egypt Land • Dear Diary? Delightful Diary! • A Ten Year Old in Hollywood • The Kids Fight Back • A Tale of Two Brothers • Many Tales of Three Brothers • It is Permitted to Try Again • An Adventure a Day • The Empty Castle • Prince of Deira • A Strange Voyage • An Animal Epic • Last Woman Meets Last Man • A Dog From Heaven • The Peaceable Kingdom • If They Will Sign the Treaty, He May Kiss Me • A Book That Works Like a Charm • Honorable Mention • Epilogue • Bibliography

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