Brighten these sordid lives a little with your pretty thoughts, your
lovely imaginations, your tender pictures. Speak to them simply, for
their minds grope feebly in the dim twilight of their restricted
lives. The old, old stories will do; stories of love and heroism and
sacrifice; of faith and courage and fidelity. Kindle in tired hearts a
gentler thought of life; open the eyes that see not and the ears that
hear not; interpret to them something of the beauty that has been
revealed to you. You do not need talent, only sympathy, "the one poor
word that includes all our best insight and our best love."

KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN.




PREFACE.


The fourteen little stories in this book are not offered as a
collection ample enough to satisfy all needs of the kindergartner.

Such a collection should embrace representative stories of all
classes--narrative, realistic, imaginative, scientific, and
historical, as well as brief and simple tales for the babies.

An experience of twelve years among kindergartners, however, has shown
us that there is room for a number of books like this modest example;
containing stories which need no adaptation or arrangement; which are
ready for the occasion, and which have been thoroughly tried before
audience after audience of children.