"If readers are to come to Shakespeare and to Chekhov, to Henry James
and to Jane Austen, then they are best prepared if they have read Lewis
Carroll and Edward Lear, Robert Louis Stevenson and Rudyard Kipling,"
writes Harold Bloom in his introduction to this enchanting and
much-needed anthology of exceptional stories and poems selected to
inspire a lifelong love of reading. As television, video games, and the
Internet threaten to distract young people from the solitary pleasures
of reading, Bloom presents a volume that will amuse, challenge, and
beguile readers with its myriad voices and subjects.
Here are old favorites by beloved writers of children's literature, as
well as exciting rediscoveries and wonderful works penned by writers
better known for their adult classics, such as Herman Melville, Leo
Tolstoy, Edith Wharton, and Walt Whitman. Encompassing the natural world
and the supernatural; childhood, romance, and death; pets, wild animals,
and goblins; mystery, adventure, and humor; the selections reflect the
passion and erudition of our most revered literary critic. Arranged by
season, Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All
Ages is a must-have anthology, sure to delight readers young and old
for years to come.