Complexity and mass, arrived at
by stages perfectly intelligible in themselves, mounting steadily from a
starting-point of simplicity; then the same complexity and mass resolving
itself as it were miraculously back into simplicity, this is an
intellectual joy. It does not differ materially, whether found in the
study of counterpoint, at thirty, or in the story of the old woman and her
pig, at five. It is perfectly natural and wholesome, and it may perhaps be
a more powerful developing force for the budding intellect than we are
aware.
For these reasons let me urge you, when you are looking for stories to
tell little children, to apply this threefold test as a kind of touchstone
to their quality of fitness: Are they full of action, in close natural
sequence? Are their images simple without being humdrum? Are they
repetitive? The last quality is not an absolute requisite; but it is at
least very often an attribute of a good child-story.
Having this touchstone in mind for general selection, we can now pass to
the matter of specific choices for different ages of children. No one can
speak with absolute conviction in this matter, so greatly do the taste and
capacity of children of the same age vary. Any approach to an exact
classification of juvenile books according to their suitability for
different ages will be found impossible.
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