The work opens by establishing that the peasant and the nurse are the true, unsurpassed guardians of ancient narrative lore, preserving legends that reflect the childhood of the human race. The authors then build a comprehensive pedagogical framework for primary and secondary grade teachers who often lack familiarity with this basic traditional material. The text is systematically divided into sections covering Mother Goose jingles, traditional fairy stories, modern fantastic tales, fables, myths, poetry, realistic stories, nature literature, romance cycles, and hero biographies. Each section provides curated source readings followed by select bibliographies and practical teaching notes designed to help inexperienced instructors.
A central argument asserts that literature must be presented as imaginative play rather than mechanical reading drills, using storytelling and dramatization to cultivate literary appreciation. The editors demonstrate how traditional stories develop through centuries of popular use while retaining a universal appeal rooted in rhythm, nonsense, and dramatic action. Extensive graded home-reading lists are included to steer children away from sensational trash toward wholesome books. The volume concludes with a vast collection of classic sources, ranging from Aesop and Andersen to nineteenth-century verse and historical biography, serving as a first aid manual for teachers entering the boundless domain of children's literature.
