School Reading by Grades by James Baldwin

This fifth-year school reader gathers poetry, legend, history, adventure, and patriotic writing to train young readers in careful pronunciation, close understanding, and a lasting love of literature. Its opening counsel insists that reading should be a source of pleasure and growth, not a task, and that true enjoyment comes from noticing beauty, meaning, and moral worth. John Ruskin's "Something about Books" sets the tone, urging readers to value enduring books over passing ones and to read with effort, humility, and reverence. From there, the selections move through heroic and historical worlds: Jason's boyhood under the wise Centaur Chiron, where music, athletics, hunting, healing, and noble companionship shape a future hero; the loyal greyhound Dragon, whose devotion helps expose a murder and bring justice in medieval France; and stirring tales of honor, such as Aguilar's steadfast defense of a fortress. The book also celebrates American frontier courage through Daniel Boone, from his first Kentucky explorations to the founding of Boonesboro and the shaping of Kentucky's early laws. Richly varied and illustrated, the reader aims to strengthen skill, character, and imagination alike. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.