/v 



»"«* 



I 



ujsC 



,J**^ 



tiffl!jtoi&£ffi&*M^ 



|THE BOOK SHELF 



.4 Little Gateway to Science. Edith M. Patch, State Entomologist of Maine, 

 180 pp. with many illustrations. Atlantic Press. School Edition, 90c, 

 library, $1.25 



So seldom is it that one who knows the facts of a science has the power of 

 telling them interestingly to children that when such an one is found it makes 

 an occasion for rejoicing. Miss Patch is a woman of high scientific attain- 

 ments and is the only State Entomologist of her sex in the United States. 

 Those of us who have been privileged to know her personally are not surprised 

 to find that she can write such charming children's stories, for she possesses 

 a certain childlike sincerity and sweetness of character that should make her 

 the perfect interpreter to childhood. These stories she has given us from 

 "Hexapod Land" are delightful from the first page to the last; each one is 

 breathlessly interesting which is an important quality in a child's book; almost 

 too interesting in fact, for we chanced to begin with the story of "Poly, The 

 Easter Butterfly" and we read it over and over out of sheer enjoyment and 

 almost forgot to read the other stories. The titles to the stories are most 

 felicitous as are the names given to the insects, as "The Strange House of Cecid 

 Cido Domy" for the story of the Cecidomyid that make the pine-cone willow 

 gall; or "Lampy's Fourth of July" for the story of the Lampyrid beetle com- 

 monly called "Firefly." There are twelve of these stories, each one replete 

 with the facts of insect life and each one as interesting as any fairy story ever 

 written. The volume ends with some good advice to teachers and a helpful 

 bibliography. We predict that a great many grown-ups will squeeze through 

 "The Little Gateway to Science" and revel with the children in "Hexapod 

 Land' ' ; anyway it is a volume that should be in every school library and every 

 child's own library as well, for it is a great little book. 



The Adventures of a Nature Guide. Enos A. Mills, 271 pp., 30 full page illustra- 

 tions from photographs, Doubleday Page & Co. 

 When Enos Mills writes a book we may always be certain that it is a truth- 

 ful record of the life and the happenings in the mountain wilderness. All of 

 his books should be in every school library, but perhaps this volume contains 

 the most important message of any for the teacher. Each chapter holds the 

 reader's interest to the last word. The beginning chapters tell of mountain 

 experiences: "Snow-blinded on the Summit," "Winter Mountaineering," 

 "Trees at Timberline," "Wind-rapids on the Heights," "The Arctic Zone of 

 High Mountains. The chapters of greatest importance for the Nature- Study 

 teacher are ' 'Waiting in the Wilderness' ' which illustrates how to really observe 

 the life of the woods and fields; "The Children of My Trail School" which 

 gives an account of Mr. Mills' methods of teaching children wood lore and 



275 



