Delinquents' Library

Modern U. S. social workers play up environment, play down inheritance. But they still believe as strongly as Victorians in the therapeutic value of good reading. Last week New York's Mayor Fiorella LaGuardia issued an annotated list-of 277 books, grouped according to school grades, to be read in future by children whose misdeeds land them in the New York City Children's Court. Costing about $390, the full library contains 19 fairy stories, 81 adventure tales, 85 biographies of human and animal heroes, miscellaneous books on civics, history, hobbies, religion, etiquette. The list contains such old standbys as Alice in Wonderland, such new ones as Munro Leaf's sensational best-selling Ferdinand, expurgated versions of Mother Goose and Grimm's Fairy Tales, omits such scary items as the Russian Fairy Tales, Slovenly Peter. For delinquents "above average intelligence" in the "Grades 9-12" group is included James Hilton's Goodbye, Mr. Chips. Typical title for little delinquents: Winnie-the-Pooh; for slightly older ones: Eleanor Roosevelt's When You Grow Up to Vote.

*AN INVITATION TO READ--Municipal Reference Library (250.

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