Those writers and artists who produce such a large selection
of so-called children's books might be thought to command an easy success. As a matter of fact, they do not, though pretti- ness is an almost invariable accompaniment of such publi- cations. Their small readers are always ready to admire a prettily bound and illustrated volume. They will look through the pictures. But no amount of ornament and coloured plates will establish a book as one of their select library. It is an extremely difficult matter to satisfy them, for though not consciously critical, as a rule they simply disregard the books which do not take their fancy. On the other hand, they will read, and pass on for reading to the younger ones, those of which they are fond, until they almost drop to pieces. They have a firm feeling also that " good wine needs no bush." Often they treasure most carefully some volume which appeals to them, but is old, shabby, without pictures, or badly illustrated, just as they love an old, grubby, and ugly doll. It by no means follows, either, that they will like pictures because they are well drawn or elegant. Extremely rough drawings often strike them as simply admirable, and are vastly more prized than a " more finished article." They approved of the pictures " in Lear's " Book of Nonsense," which still remains a nursery treasure ; and the .tyle and humour of Lord Basil Blackwood's men, women, and animals in the " Bad Child's Book of Beasts " achieved an immediate and permanent success. It is remarkable that out of a hundred " children's books" probably not more than one ever does ,this. The serious reviewer might address himself to find out why, but the inquiry would be difficult. A clue might perhaps be obtained from a comparison of the pictures to which they extend their sanction and approval. It will nearly always be found that these have the merits of genuineness, and of illustrating the " point " of the matter in hand unmistakably. Also, that if humorous, the humour is clear and undeniable, and easily understood. Moreover, illustrations which appeal to children are almost invariably such as please and amuse grown-up people too. It almost never happens that a child brings a picture to a grown-up person to see and admire for its humour which does not provoke a smile on the face of the elder. There are no " make-weights " or compensations in the material children's books are made of. They are the most conservative little creatures in the world, and no amount of "local colour" or fine writing will make up for a weak story, or want of sim- plicity and directness. Decoration and quaint conceits do not please them if, to use their own phrase, "they don't belong." They can follow all the rollicking fun of Doyle's elves dancing round the frontispiece of Punch. But they have been known to look on more ambitious but less obvious illustrations of modern fairy-tales, conceived some- what in the same style, with cold politeness. Many of the pictures by Leech in the " Handley Cross " series are first favourites with the children who are fortunate enough to know them, such as Mr. Jogglebury Crowdy and Ponta,' and Lord Scamperdale's upset in the middle of his friends of the Flat Hat Hunt by Multum in Parvo.' But the drawing of artists like Doyle and Leech is only second to the story which the pictures tell of what the elves, or dogs, or horses, or Lord Scamperdale are doing. Among the books
recently welcomed by acclaim into the places of honour in children's esteem are four tiny volumes which exactly con- form to some of their unwritten canons. They are " Little Black Sambo," and a " companion volume," to use a phrase of sufficient dignity to meet the occasion, " Little Black Mingo," "Peter Rabbit," and " Squirrel Nutkin." In the last two the story is mainly told by admirably drawn little pictures, with a laconic letterpress below them. The first two were apparently written to amuse little English children in India, Black Mingo being a little Indian girl, and the other " parties " a cross old Indian woman, a big "chatty," or earthen pitcher, and a " mugger," or crocodile. The pictures are as unlike reality as those in " Struwwelpeter," but perfectly admirable, conforming to all the requirements of children in the illustrating of such a story. The final scene, where the wicked old woman, carrying a tin of kerosene, has been swallowed by the still more wicked mugger, and is blown up by an explosion caused by her striking a match in the mugger's inside, is a triumph of simple and realistic art. The bits of mugger and of bad old woman, all in their proper colours, can be recognised, as well
as the matches and pieces of the kerosene-tin. It may be mentioned that there is nothing which child readers resent
more than an illustration which is inaccurate in regard to facts, as, for instance, if a little girl who is described as having curly hair is drawn with straight hair, or is made dark when she ought to be fair.
He would be a rash man who ventured to suggest the " hundred best books " for the nursery library. Probably there are not a hundred which would pass muster. But the following are perhaps among those on which the inexorable opinion of children has set the seal of its approval, it matters not whether fifty years ago or yesterday, because very few are ever dinichis afterwards. "Holiday House" is one of their oldest classics, and Harry's triumph when convinced that his Lordship "had seen the bull," its climax, never fails to draw applause. The " Swiss Family Robinson," in spite of its impossibilities, is another standard work. They look upon "Robinson Crusoe " as an " improving " book, and the " Swiss Family" more as an entertaining one. " Struwwelpeter " has an almost world-wide nursery circulation, the original pictures conforming exactly to the standard required by them. In addition, it is didactic and full of " awful examples," which they love. Among their favourite poetry used to be the " Butterflies Ball and the Grasshoppers' Feast," with the "Marriage of the Flowers" a good second. Absolutely colourless tales of the lives of other little children, in which they make new and pleasant acquaintances, and learn the behaviour of their nurses and governesses and parents, take the place of the " drawing-room novel " in their reading. There are several established favourites of this type, such as " The Little Cousins." These are the only part of their library which " grown-ups" do not care about. The " Arabian Nights " is not a certainty. Sometimes it has only a succe destime ; but as a rule fairy-stories are in demand, of a brisk, enlivening kind. Whether Hans Andersen's are as much approved by English children as by German is doubtful. " Alice in Wonderland" and " Through the Looking Glass " never fail to delight them. " Uncle Remus " and Mr. Rudyard Kipling's " Just So Stories" are part of their permanent stock of animal literature; and as the life and thoughts of animals occupy a large place in the children's world, whether of reading, toys, or play, good illustrated books on natural history are always appreciated by them. Of books of adventure, " The Settlers in Canada" and " Masterman Ready" are among the most prized. But they resent the death of the hero in the latter, and also the insertion of " Ready's Narrative," one story inside another being a breach of etiquette. They are also keen to note that when the admirable Mr. Seagrave (who always helps the family digging dressed in a tall hat), " leaning on his spade," gives the rest of the party, who go on digging hard, a lecture on the castor-oil bean, he is rather dull, and needs skipping. But they are not censorious, and never suggest that he might have done his share of the digging, and left the castor-oil bean lecture till after supper. As a combination of fairy-story, natural history, and adven- ture they think that nothing equals " The Water Babies," and not one child in a hundred ever discovers that there are "allusions" to other matters than the story beneath the surface of that delightful book.
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