AmySea

I discovered this book today when I was cataloging some U.S. government publications from the National Institute of Mental Health. It is, in part, a collection of stories and pictures by children who range in age from 6 to 10 years old. There was the story of the fireman who got fired because he kept allowing his fire engine to catch ablaze, the story of the wicked witch who loved children because, "they were easier to eat," and were the main ingredient in her specialty, "kiddy stew." Then there was the story of Fat Fanny, who teaches us that too much ice cream might not be such a great idea, and really well-told stories about segregation and racial equality. The kids' art rivaled their stories. I thoroughly enjoyed the drawing of the mermaids, the awesome illustrations of rocket ships and race cars, and the lovely one of kids climbing a tree. I really had fun reading this book for these stories and drawings.

A Child's World is also a child psychology/child development book, and it includes the obligatory analysis and statistics that one expects from those kind of books. That data was interesting, but the book is only 3 years younger than I am, so some of the analysis and conclusions drawn may be considered out of date, or at least, perhaps, out of vogue. Nevertheless, I did see some parallels between the information about the development of 6 and 8 years olds and the development of my niece. But really, whether the data is out of date or not isn't what's important here. The kids' stories and pictures are timeless, and I'm glad that our government published this enjoyable and engaging book.