Ting-a-ling

Stockton, Frank Richard, 1834-1902Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 196K words
Chapters: 20

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Ting-a-ling by Frank Richard StocktonAuthor: Stockton, Frank Richard, 1834-1902,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Mar 16, 2007

Editor's review

Ting-a-ling is a children's book by Frank Richard Stockton, an author known for light, humorous short stories with a touch of the absurd; this book continues the tradition of fantasy narrative for young readers. The language is brisk, the plot turns on whimsical events, and it suits parent-child reading or English beginners as a graded reader. As a Project Gutenberg ebook, it is free and convenient for excerpted read-alouds, role play, or discussion of the imaginative logic in class. There is no need to seek deep meaning; focus on the playfulness and storytelling rhythm of late nineteenth-century children's literature. For language learning, note the colloquial expressions and onomatopoeia in dialogue. For readers studying the genre of children's literature or Stockton's work, this is a light but interesting basic text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Families looking for English short stories to read with children
Beginners who need simple English reading for extensive practice
Researchers interested in late nineteenth-century children's fantasy
Teachers who need read-aloud material for elementary English classes

Not a good fit for

Adult fiction readers expecting complex plots and deep themes
Readers who need Chinese annotation or graded-reader exercises
Readers who prefer contemporary children's literature themes and diverse perspectives

Reading tips

For parent-child reading, have an adult read a passage first, then let the child retell the whimsical events in the story.
English learners can extract dialogue passages to practice onomatopoeia and spoken rhythm.
For classroom use, assign roles for read-aloud and discuss how "the absurd" drives the plot.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What age of child is this book suitable for?

The work is for young readers, with relatively light language and plot, but the original is in English and carries nineteenth-century expression habits. Judge by the child's English reading level; an adult can read along or select short passages first. As parent-child reading material, upper elementary grades and above will find it easier to enter the story.

Is the story long or short?

Stockton is known for short fantasy stories, and this book continues his light, whimsical way of telling. The exact structure of the pieces should be checked against the ebook file; browse the contents or sections first and start with a complete short story rather than reading straight through.

Can it be used as English learning material?

Yes, but it is better for extensive reading and read-aloud practice than as a systematic textbook. The dialogue and onomatopoeia help convey the rhythm of spoken English, but some vocabulary and sentence patterns are dated, so use a dictionary or have a teacher select passages.

Comments

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About the author

Stockton, Frank Richard, 1834-1902 Author

Frank Richard Stockton (1834–1902) was an American writer known for humorous and fanciful short stories and novels. This collection holds 33 of his works, spanning a variety of genres: the short story “The Lady, or the Tiger?”, famous for its dilemma ending; the whimsical tales of “The Bee-Man of Orn and Other Fanciful Tales”; light, comic travel and domestic stories such as “The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine”, “The Associate Hermits” and “The Squirrel Inn”; and adventure and exotic settings in “Kate Bonnet: The Romance of a Pirate‘s Daughter” and “A Bicycle of Cathay”. His writing is marked by witty dialogue, absurd premises and gentle satire, with brisk plots and surprising turns, making him a distinctive figure in late nineteenth-century American popular literature. Public information is limited, so details of his life beyond his dates are omitted.