Poet and novelist ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (1850-1894) was the author of a number of classic books, including Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Mr. Stevenson was often ill as a child and spent much of his youth confined to his nursery, where he first began to compose stories even before he could read.
Gr 1 Up Eleven editions of this classic are in print, including those illustrated by Tasha Tudor (Rand McNally, 1981), Jessie W. Smith (Scribners, 1905) and Brian Wildsmith (Oxford University Pr, 1984), yet Foreman's work lives on its own terms. His pen and ink-wash drawings and watercolors evoke both the dream world of a child's imagination and the real world of today. The child in ``My Shadow'' and the nude sprite in ``The Flowers'' are both wearing tennis shoes. ``To My Mother'' pictures a woman in jeans. What could be trite or trendy is instead fresh and modern and unstuffy. The book is meticulously laid out, and Mary Thwaite's introduction is clear and concise. But the core of this lovely book is Robert Louis Stevenson's poetry, which remains original, inspiring and wonder-provoking after a century. One may well wince at the underlying chauvinism of ``Foreign Children,'' but most of the poems still sing. Foreman clearly understands how to ``. . .sing your praise, /Happy chimney-corner days, /Sitting safe in nursery nooks, /Reading picture story-books. . . .'' Kathleen D. Whalin, New Canaan Library, Conn.
This compendium of information ``for, by and about young people'' features chapters on sports celebrities, health, games, clubs, history, law and science. (9-up)
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