Fed by Birds

The copy of this children's book on Iceland, Lapland and Greenland which I picked up somewhere or other was won by its first owner for Early Morning Sunday School Attendance in 1884. It was published by the Wesleyan Sunday School Union, and the Wesleyan approach seems to have been a gentle and kindly one, using the stories of harsh Northern lives to remind children to "think with warm interest and sympathy of those who have fewer advantages". It has some interesting insights into Arctic life: after a black bear hunt in Lapland, the bear is taken home on a sledge "and the reindeer that has drawn it is actually so indulged as to be allowed a holiday all the rest of that year". It also has some beautiful illustrations.