A Primary Reader

A Primary Reader (Old-time
Stories, Fairy Tales and Myths
Retold by Children)

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Title: A Primary Reader Old-time Stories, Fairy Tales and Myths
Retold by Children
Author: E. Louise Smythe
Release Date: April, 2005 [EBook #7841] [Yes, we are more than one
year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on May 21, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A
PRIMARY READER ***

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A PRIMARY READER
Old-time Stories, Fairy Tales and Myths Retold by Children
By
E. LOUISE SMYTHE

PREFACE.
This book originated in a series of little reading lessons prepared for the
first grade pupils in the Santa Rosa public schools. The object of the
lessons was three-fold: to provide reading matter for the little ones who
had only a small vocabulary of sight-words; to acquaint them early
with the heroes who have come down to us in song and story; and to
create a desire for literature.
It has been my endeavor to follow Dr. G. Stanley Hall's suggestions in
his monograph, "How to Teach Reading," where he asks for "true
child-editions, made by testing many children with the work piece-meal
and cutting and adapting the material till it really and closely fitted the

minds and hearts of the children."
Various stories were given to the pupils; discussions followed. After a
time the story was produced orally by the children. Notes were made on
expressions used and points of interest dwelt upon. Later the story was
either written on the blackboard or mimeographed and put into the
pupils' hands to read.
It gave great delight to the children to recognize an old friend in a new
dress, and as interest was aroused, but little difficulty was encountered
in recognizing words that were indeed "new" in their sight vocabulary,
but old servants in their oral vocabulary.
The spirit of the book may be illustrated by referring to the roast turkey
in the story of The Little Match Girl. The story was told as dear old
Hans Christian Andersen gave it to the little German children of fifty
years ago. But American children have a different idea of the fowl
which graces the table at Christmas time. The story as it came from the
lips of the children referred to the "turkey," and "goose" was used in
only one instance. As the story was to appeal to our children, the word
was changed to suit their ideas.
Again, in the story of Red Riding-Hood we preferred to use the German
ending, as it leaves a far happier impression on the minds of the
children than the accepted English version. The incongruity of the
wolf's swallowing whole the grandmother and child does not destroy
the child's enjoyment of the story, while the happy release of both
grandmother and little girl forms a suitable close.
Also, as this old story handed down in so many languages is an
interpretation of one of the Sun myths, it seems better to cling to the
original, especially when it meets so entirely with the child's approval.
Before presenting the Norse myths for reading, they had been the
subject of many conversations, queries and illustrations. Some were
even dramatized--in a childlike way, of course. Detailed descriptions of
Mt. Ida, Asgard, and some of the principal heroes, were given. But,
though the little audience seemed interested in the introductory remarks,
these never came back when the children were called upon to reproduce
the story. The narrator at once plunged into the story part. It is for this
reason descriptions of heroes and places have been omitted in these
stories. It is thus left for each teacher who uses this book to employ her
own method of introducing the gods of the hardy Norseman to her

pupils.
The following works