*This Book is annotated (it contains a detailed biography of the author). *An active Table of Contents has been added by the publisher for a better customer experience. *This book has been checked and corrected for spelling errors.But thirty years have elapsed since the death of Daniel Webster, and there is already danger that, so far as young people are concerned, he will become an historic reminiscence. Schoolboys, who declaim the eloquent extracts from his speeches which are included in all the school speakers, are indeed able to form some idea of his great oratorical powers and the themes which called them forth; but I have found that young classical students, as a rule, know more of Cicero's life than of his. It seems to me eminently fitting that the leading incidents in the life of our great countryman, his struggles for an education, the steps by which he rose to professional and political distinction, should be made familiar to American boys. I have therefore essayed a "story biography," which I have tried to write in such a manner as to make it attractive to young people, who are apt to turn away from ordinary biographies, in the fear that they may prove dull.

Horatio Alger Jr. (January 13, 1832 - July 18, 1899) was an American writer, best known for his many young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. His writings were characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on America during the Gilded Age.

In its seventh edition, "Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children's Literature" continues to be a visually stunning, theoretically sound, comprehensive overview of children's literature. It focuses squarely on selecting and evaluating quality literature to share with children and guiding them to appreciate and respond to that literature. This edition features multicultural literature and young adult literature in every chapter, expanded coverage of biographies and informational books and over 100 new children's titles referenced throughout. A children's literature CD-ROM accompanies the book and contains bibliographic information for thousands of titles, making it even easier to share quality literature with children and adolescents.