This is not only a book about children's books, but it is also a comprehensive survey of various aspects of child life in America during the colonial and early national periods. Miss Kiefer's major conclusion is that the American Revolution marked the beginning of the American child's emancipation, and that by 1835 one finds the child emerging as a distinct personality not This is not only a book about children's books, but it is also a comprehensive survey of various aspects of child life in America during the colonial and early national periods. Miss Kiefer's major conclusion is that the American Revolution marked the beginning of the American child's emancipation, and that by 1835 one finds the child emerging as a distinct personality not only in respect to religion but also in education, manners, health and recreation. The chapter on "War with the Devil," in which is discussed the gruesome theology of early New England and its effect on all phases of child behavior, is skillfully handled with both respect and delicate irony. (American Academy of Pediatrics)