lts in reading, which all teachers and parents deplore. The
dramatic appeal of the stories will cause the child to lose himself in
the character he is impersonating and read with a naturalness and
expressiveness unknown to him before, and this improvement will be
evident in all his oral reading, and even in his speech.

The use of the books permits the whole range of expression, from merely
reading the stories effectively, to "acting them out" with as little, or
as much, stage-setting or costuming as a parent or teacher may desire.
The stories are especially designed to be read as a part of the regular
reading work. Many different plans for using the books will suggest
themselves to the teacher. After a preliminary reading of a story during
the study period, the teacher may assign different parts to various
children, she herself reading the stage directions and the other brief
descriptions unclosed in brackets. The italicized explanations in
parentheses are not intended to be read aloud; they will aid in giving
the child the cue as to the way the part should be rendered. After the
story has been read in this way, if thought advisable it can be played
informally and simply, with no attempt at costuming or theatric effects.
It will often add to the interest of the play to have some of the
children represent certain of the inanimate objects of the scene, as the
forest, the town gate, a door, etc. Occasionally, for the "open day," or
as a special exercise, a favorite play may be given by the children with
the simplest kind of costuming and stage-setting. These can well be made
in the school as a part of the manual training and sewing work. In
giving the play, it will generally be better not to have pupils memorize
the exact words of the book, but to depend upon the impromptu rendering
of their parts. This method will contribute more largely to the training
in English.

The best results will usually be obtained by using this book in the
third grade. In some schools, however, it may profitably be used in the
second grade.

A.S.

CONTENTS

THE CLEVER KID
_Suggested by AEsop's The Wolf and the Goat._

THE WOLF AND THE HORSE
_Suggested by AEsop's The Wolf and the Horse._

THE WISE CROW
_Suggested by AEsop's The Crow and the Pitcher._

THE WOLF AND THE LAMB
_Suggested by AEsop's The Wolf and the Lamb._

THE SELFISH WOMAN
_Suggested by the folk-story, The Red-Headed
Woodpecker._

THE BLIND MEN AND THE