"Once upon a time", or, "Long, long ago"; or, "Did you ever hear of
the golden apples?" etc.--Hawthorne has been omitted in this book
because, so far as I can discover, he furnishes no tale for the
kindergarten or first grade. His simplest tale, _Midas and the Golden_
_Touch_, properly belongs in the second grade when told; when read, in
the fourth grade.--The introduction, in whatever form, should be
simple and to the point. It should give the time and place and present
the characters; and if good art it will be impatient of much
preliminary delay. The great stories all show a rise of interest
culminating in one central climax; and after that, sometimes following
on its very heels, the conclusion where poetic justice is meted out.
This climax is a very important feature in the tale, so important that
it has been said, "The climax is the tale." It is the point where
interest focuses. It makes the story because it is where the point of
the story is made. In a good story this point always is made
impressive and often is made so by means of surprise. The conclusion
must show that the tale has arrived at a stopping place and in a moral
tale it must leave one satisfied, at rest.

If the folk-tale is good narration, in answer to the question, "What?"
it will tell what happened; in answer to the question, "Who?" it will
tell to whom it happened; in answer to the question, "Where?" it will
tell the place where, and the time when, it happened; and in answer to
the question, "Why?" it will give the reason for telling the story, it
will give the message, and the truth embodied in its form. As
narration the tale must have truth, interest, and consistency. Its
typical mood must be action and its language the language of
suggestion. This language of suggestion appears when it shows an
object by indicating how it is like something else; by telling what we
feel when we see the object; and by telling what actions of the person