New Mexico Quarterly Volume 30 | Issue 3 Article 22 1960 Books University of New Mexico Press Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nmq Recommended Citation University of New Mexico Press. "Books." New Mexico Quarterly 30, 3 (1960). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nmq/vol30/iss3/22 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the University of New Mexico Press at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in New Mexico Quarterly by an authorized editor of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. : Books • ,c::-= ", -'if'" 1:1.g 0- '< e:=a i ~ "< G '8'a ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~f1t ~ ~ gA> 0 1:2 ~ :i1 ro ~ -c:: ~ g J p0.. 10 VI ? I tb~ TraUs ,tbat Crossed One century ~o there was no attempt to "write-down" for chUdren,to abridge,.or simplify; young people of any c:aliber were expected to cut their teeth ,on the Bible, Pilgrim's ProgreS's, Poor Richard's Almanac, and Shakespeare-whether they understood what was written or not. No foolishness in those da~little ~etowaste on nonessen~. Our stem ciders insisted that children learn what was <tgood for" them,1t andifthe Bible, Pilgrim's Pro.gre~s, and Shakespeare were filled with horror stories, to equal prese,nt..day,television,. that had to be taken in stride. At least, their little. heads were being ctam,med with ,great literature. A gradual and perceptible change tookplace,however-? with the adve,ntof J..oUisa May Alcott's books which immediatdy beCome suc:cess£u1,largdybetaUs¢chUdren Were portrayed as real individuals and not little wooden Pu.ppetsas.most ad-u1t,.authors were wont to portray them.