Childcraft: The How And Why Library 1984

by Childcraft International, World Book (Contributor)

Childcraft was first published in 1934. Since then it has undergone substantial revision several times. This edition is a 15-volume resource library designed especially for preschool and primary-grade children and for the older child who needs high-interest, easy-to-read materials. Childcraft also serves as a resource for parents, teachers, and librarians.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Childrens, Short Stories, Poetry, Classics, Education

Paperback

First published December 28, 1961

About the author

“Character training, discipline guidance, and habit formation are processes in your child’s development that cause you serious concern. You want your child to develop habits and traits of character that are admirable and worthwhile—habits and traits that will ensure happiness and success in life.”

These are words of introduction from the inaugural 1934 Parent Guide Supplement to Childcraft, a 15-volume annual series launched as a home instructional and educational resource for parents. Childcraft remained a mainstay within American households over 7 decades, sold door-to-door, direct to parents.

Childcraft was succeeded by Discovery and Discovery Science. Discovery and Discovery Science are multivolume print and digital reference resources for elementary readers.

The iconic Childcraft brand remains in the public domain as an Annual Update to owners of an original Childcraft set and is displayed each year at the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder’s meeting.

Reviews

[lorinbocol · Rating 5 out of 5]

poi sarebbero venuti un capitano di quindici anni di verne, e i quindici uomini / quindici uomini / sulla cassa del morto cantati da stevenson. ma in principio nella numerologia della mia infanzia, essi furono.
i quindici volumi dal dorso in technicolor più celebre della storia. dispensatori di filastrocche e stornelli, ubiqui nel tempo tra foto di esplorazioni spaziali ed evocazione di meraviglie scomparse. popolati di bambini che saltavano nelle pozzanghere senza essere sgridati - e con invidiatissimi impermeabili gialli, poi - ma anche di storielle che niente niente facevano a striscioline la spensieratezza di un pomeriggio qualunque. e anche quello era crescere, eccome.
voglio dire: qualcuno ricorda il grillo e la formicuzza? quei due che si dovevano sposare, salvo che «andarono in chiesa per mettersi l'anello, cadde il grillo e si ruppe il cervello». e lei che fa? «la formicuzza per il gran dolore prese le zampine e se le ficcò nel cuore».
no dico, io sto ancora aspettando di riprendermi. ma l'accidenti di filastrocca illustrata la ricordo meglio dei verbi irregolari della terza coniugazione. parola.

[Emmapeel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come giustamente scrive Labranca, "I Quindici" hanno formato una gioventù curiosa, spaesata e affamata d'esotico. Oggi fa ridere, ma quando ancora non eravamo globalizzati, un'enciclopedia creata ad uso e consumo dei ragazzini americani post-boom, nei tinelli nostrani aveva effetti devastanti. Non c'era un'illustrazione che non mostrasse bambini biondi con uno spruzzo di lentiggini sul naso e i pantaloni corti. Il libro "feste e costumi", descriveva Thanksgiving e Xmaspudding, e strani riti tipo GuyFawkes o il giorno di S. Patrizio. In epoche in cui in Italia si proibivano i coloranti alimentari persino nelle TicTac, le foto di bastoncini di zucchero ricurvi a spirali bianche e fucsia e le mele candite rosso fosforescente avevano la stessa forza dirompente delle serigrafie di Warhol. Ogni pagina era un enigma da decifrare, una storia da scoprire: "Mamma, che cos'è la gommalacca?", "Che sapore ha la melassa?", "Mi insegni il baseball?", "Perché in Italia non vendono la colla spray?". Genitori impotenti mostravano per la prima volta di essere fallibili, e noi cercavamo di immaginarci come doveva essere una vita esotica quanto i romanzi di Salgari. Il volume 15, "Voi e il vostro bambino", non fu ovviamente mai aperto, mentre "Fare e costruire", "Feste e costumi", "Come si fanno le cose", "Come funzionano le cose" furono i miei compagni di gioco e di lettura preferiti per anni e anni. In epoca pre-tutto, "I Quindici" raccontavano la vita quotidiana di un'altra galassia spacciandola per normalità. Nessun libro di fantascienza è mai riuscito a portarmi oltre. ... Show less

[Micah Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series of books when I was a kid. They were sold along with the World Book Encyclopedia set, which my parents also bought and I also read avidly. Childcraft was designed to be a sort of encyclopedia for kids, I think, but it really was so much more, with each volume dedicated to everything from nursery rhymes to international folk tales to biology and how technology and machinery work. Fascinating stuff. The articles were extremely well written with first-class illustrations that enthralled and inspired my young mind. Even today, as a somewhat more jaded adult, I love reading those articles, though they are somewhat dated (my Childcraft was the 1975 edition, after all). Well done, Childcraft authors, editors and illustrators, for helping inspire a love for learning during my childhood, as well as during the childhoods of many others.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ma come ho fatto a dimenticarli?!?!?

I quindici...fanno bella mostra di loro in un bel ripiano alto in salotto, tutti rigorosamente ordinati per colore (rosso, violetto, blu, azzurro, verde...)e quanto mi hanno accompagnato da piccolina.
C'era quello delle favole, con una storia in particolare sul lupo e le pecorelle e questo lupo che cercava di camuffarsi da mamma pecora per papparsele tutte e con un disegno del lupo che mi faceva un'impressione...qualche tempo fa ripresi questo libro proprio nel punto di questa fiaba e quel disegno mi fa ancora impressione!
Poi c'era quello di geografia, di storia, di poesie...sono sempre stati lì in quel punto da che mi ricordi, comprati da mio nonno, erano lì ancora prima di me, sono lì ora e un paio di questi (quelli sugli animali e le favole) praticamente sono stati dati in eredità al mio cuginetto di 6 anni, così la tradizione continua!

Aggiornamento: L'altro giorno, sistemo gli scaffali ed ecco che mi tornano in mano "I Quindici" e scoperta delle scoperte...sulle copertine c'erano delle mie scritte di quando avevo tipo 3/4 anni, le scritte erano queste: "ARJFL, AHGAHG, PAVA (questa è una particina del mio cognome), STYWJK, MAHDJ e via dicendo...ma cos'avrò voluto dire?!?!?

[Jay Traub · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Childcraft books are wonderful. I still read them as an adult, but for a child, they open the world up in ways that are profound in how they shape the view of the world. The book on plants and stories from around the world are my favorites. The set I read was from the 1970s, and I am not sure if there is an updated set, but I am not entirely sure I want an updated set. If I ever have kids, I would try really hard to make sure they had access to these books.

[Jena]

My Grandma had this encyclopedia that she bought for my Dad and my uncle when they were small, and this was my Holy Grail of books when I was a little girl.
Since they weren't in Braille, there was no way I could read them, and they were too long to be read aloud, they took on a magical quality to me. I would hold the books, and turn the pages, imagining all the KNOWLEDGE that was right there in front of me, on those smooth glossy pages. It was KNOWLEDGE, in all capital letters, something mysterious and unobtainable. It was as if the KNOWLEDGE was behind some kind of magical impenetrable door, that if I could just open it . . .
Thirty years later, I'm hoping to find these books in accessible form, to read them for the nostalgia if nothing else.

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up with this series, and wow! - this series really opened my imagination up as a child! I loved the stories, poetry, facts and fiction these books provided. We ended up with 19 books, as we were still sent others such as the Indian book, the book of the sea, and I can't quite remember the last two... hhmmm... Wonderful Childcraft International, very grateful for these wonderful books...

[Laura C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hanno accompagnato piacevolmente tutta la mia infanzia. E ancora oggi li rileggo volentieri.

[Meyps · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 15 books in the Childcraft collection, circa 1980s were my constant childhood companions. I grew up enjoying red Volume 1's nursery rhymes and poems, apple green Volume 2's stories and fables; I learned to recognize more animals aside from the usual dog, cat, cow, and pig in brown Volume 5; started being conscious about the different types of people, different cultures, different worlds in orange Volume 8; discovered that my imagination was broader and better than my fine motor skills with blue Volume 11; started learning more about my body in Volume 14; and got curious about why violet Volume 15 was a guide for parents.

If you want to relive how it was to be young and oh so eager to learn in the 80's, read and savor all 15 books of this collection. In hindsight, now that I'm pushing... my limits, this is comfort reading. Should have taken more care of this set. Sigh...

[Margaret Chind]

[Francesca Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volumes 1, 2 and 9 are indispensable. My children agree. Of course, you must have the complete set.

[Herman Stanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to voraciously devour the pages of this children based wealth of knowledge as a child in the ‘70’s. We didn’t have TV’s so it proved invaluable as a window to the world beyond my home in the country of Belize, then known as British Honduras. Just acquired a complete set, though dated (I’ll fill in the blanks), for my two little ones, they’re that good! They’ll supplement the gizmos, gadgets and electronic highways for a more rounded approach to learning. Kids these days have it all!

[Dehghan Saiee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is amazing. For the edition that collects stories from around the world, it even got artists from those cultures to make the illustrations for the stories. It might be a common consideration now, but it really shows their sincerity to doing this right even back then. The book about plants is just so utterly charming. My daughters gave me a skeptical look when I pulled it out to read to them, but I often catch them looking at during their independent reading time.

[Ehab Shawky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember when my father brought it home one day, and how me and my siblings embarked upon reading it for the next few years. It's a complete set of knowledge, enlightenment and entertainment for any child. If you wish to root the love of knowledge in your kids, I highly recommend the Childcraft encyclopedia. It has it all, from fantasy stories to science, from atoms to galaxies, from ants to dinosaurs, from the caveman to modern man, from China to America. Keep your kids' minds ripe with knowledge. I still use this wonderful encyclopedia till now and it's been 32 years.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read these as a kid - the whole set, cover to cover, multiple times. They're chock full of knowledge that's explained so an elementary school kid can understand it. I still remember many of the illustrations, and I credit a lot of my school success to all the knowledge I'd stockpiled from reading these books.

[Sara Alberti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pensata per teenager degli anni 60, per cui non più attuale in una serie di modi. Metto lo stesso molte stelle per via delle immagini e degli scenari nostalgici che mi portano alla mente (madre mi leggeva le poesie e filastrocche del primo libro sin dalla nascita)

[Nayera Faisal · Rating 5 out of 5]

بحب جدا السلسلة دى قريتها اكتر من مرة و انا صغيرة و مترجمه بإسم سلسلة الباب المفتوح

[Nique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much of my childhood was spent with these babies.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED these when I was little. I used to check them out over and over from my public library!

[Naela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing for many childhood memories, learning nursey rhymes, and more!

[Michela Derry]

I migliori: Racconti e fiabe, Rime e poesie, La vita intorno a noi, Il mondo e lo spazio. Per il resto, come tutte le enciclopedie, c'è tutto e niente insieme

[Fabiola Taverna · Rating 5 out of 5]

educativo

[May ّمي · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the 1988, 1993 edition. The Arabic Version by "Al-Bab Al-Maftuh الباب المفتوح".

I began to look at the pictures even before I knew how to read. I used to ask my siblings to read them to me. After few years I was able to read them by myself and boy did I read. I also discovered that my sister made up stories as she pretended to read to me.

I learned many things from these books. math, art, cultures and many more. I also learned how to count to 10 in Italian from them. I still remember them and I did use it when I went to Italy recently :P .

I was fascinated by theses books. The Universe, Art, Communication, Stories, the Future and everything.

These were my first educational books.
The best books that I have ever read.

[Vix Silverleaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

After years of searching online, I finally found what these book's were called. I read these books cover to cover through my childhood until roughly high school even though they were probably outdated for my generation. I still loved them and think of them often, they helped shaped my love of reading and learning.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great treasury of knowledge and literature for kids. I suppose that a lot of the information in our copy at home is outdated now (the kids are adults now), but some of the volumes -- "Once Upon a Time," Time to Read," and many others, will always be valuable.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED these encyclopedias when I was a kid.

[Dena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up having these in my home. I especially liked the "Make and Do" volume and the one about the holidays and seasons. I was surprised our library has them here to check out.

[Mroush · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's relay a Sweet series ,

[Kia76 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libri stupendi sui quali ho imparato a leggere!!!

[Patricia Joynton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, well-used set, that we read to our children nightly.