A Wonder Book for Girls & Boys

"A Wonder Book for Girls & Boys" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a collection of children's stories written in the mid-19th century. The book is designed to retell classical myths in a way that is accessible and engaging for children, using imaginative language and creative twists on the original tales. In its opening portion, children gather at Tanglewood for a nutting expedition, where a character named Eustace Bright promises to entertain them with wondrous stories, setting the stage for a series of imaginative adventures. At the start of the book, the scene is set beneath the porch of Tanglewood, where a lively group of children eagerly awaits the sun to dispel the morning mist. They are accompanied by Eustace Bright, a young man known for his storytelling prowess. As the children implore him to share a tale, he decides to tell them the story of "The Gorgon's Head," where the heroic Perseus embarks on a quest to slay the Gorgon Medusa, aided by a magical stranger named Quicksilver. This opening establishes a whimsical tone, hinting at the blend of adventure and moral lessons that will unfold through Hawthorne's adaptation of these timeless myths. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion.