Books with author Edward EGGLESTON

The primary aim of this book is to furnish the little learner reading matter that will excite his attention and give him pleasure, and thus make lighter the difficult task of learning to read. The ruggedness of this task has often been increased by the use of disconnected sentences, or lessons as dry and uninteresting as finger exercises on the piano. It is a sign of promise that the demand for reading matter of interest to the child has come from teachers. I have endeavored to meet this requirement in the following stories. As far as possible the words chosen have been such as are not difficult to the little reader, either from their length or their unfamiliarity. The sentences and paragraphs are short. Learning to read is like climbing a steep hill, and it is a great relief to the panting child to find frequent breathing places. It is one of the purposes of these stories to make the mind of the pupil familiar with some of the leading figures in the history of our country by means of personal anecdote. Some of the stories are those that every American child ought to know, because they have become a kind of national folklore. Such, for example, are "Putnam and the Wolf" and the story of "Franklin's Whistle." I have thought it important to present as great a variety of subjects as possible, so that the pupil may learn something not only of great warriors and patriots, but also of great statesmen. The exploits of discoverers, the triumphs of American inventors, and the achievements of men of letters and men of science, find place in these stories. All the narratives are historical, or at least no stories have been told for true that are deemed fictitious. Every means which the writer's literary experience could suggest has been used to make the stories engaging, in the hope that the interest of the narrative may prove a sufficient spur to exertion on the part of the pupil, and that this little book will make green and pleasant a pathway that has so often been dry and laborious. It will surely serve to excite an early interest in our national history by giving some of the great personages of that history a place among the heroes that impress the susceptible imagination of a child. It is thus that biographical and historical incidents acquire something of the vitality of folk tales. The illustrations that accompany the text have been planned with special reference to the awakening of the child's attention. To keep the mind alert and at its best is more than half the battle in teaching. The publishers and the author of this little book believe that in laying the foundation of a child's education the best work is none too good

2015 Reprint of 1895 Edition. Full Facsimile of the original edition. Not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Eggleston states in his preface that "the primary aim of this book is to furnish the little learner reading matter that will excite his attention and give him pleasure" and "to make the mind of the pupil familiar with some of the leading figures in the history of our country by means of personal anecdote." Students will be introduced to Washington, Franklin, Audubon, Clarke, Boone, Washington Irving, Horace Greely, Kit Karson, Longfellow, Dorothy Dix and others. Profusely illustrated. Originally published as a second grade reader.

Edward Eggleston teaches American history in the best way possible for children: with 52 imaginative stories of great Americans. Eggleston's stories, which bring the people and the times they lived in to life, also encourage American children to be proud of their country. Written to give hours of reading pleasure, Eggleston's 52 stories tell about war heroes, statesmen, explorers, inventors, writers, artists, scientists, and just plain ordinary people who made a difference. The lives of these men and women wonderfully illustrate the virtues children need to emulate in order to be happy and successful adults.

Eggleston was born in Vevay, Indiana. As a child, he was too ill to regularly attend school, so his education was primarily provided by his father. He became an ordained Methodist minister in 1856. His summer home, Owl's Nest, in Lake George, New York, eventually became his year-round home. Eggleston died there in 1902, at the age of 64. Owl's Nest was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971.