A Little Boy Lost

William Henry HudsonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 206K words
Chapters: 21

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. A Little Boy Lost by W. H. Hudson. Author: Hudson, W. H. (William Henry), 1841-1922. Language: English. Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres. Release Date: Nov 1, 2003

Editor's review

This work is by W. H. Hudson and belongs to juvenile literature, telling the story of a boy who gets lost. Hudson is known for his delicate nature writing and storytelling; though short, this book blends adventure with observations on the childhood mind and the natural environment, making it a suitable entry point for reading English originals. The Project Gutenberg edition is free and open, easy for readers to access anytime on electronic devices, and especially suited to those who want to encounter late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century English children's literature through public-domain books. While reading, note how the author uses environmental description to set off the character's psychology, and how the narrative rhythm shifts. For readers studying children's literature or Hudson's work, this small book can also serve as supplementary material. Keep in mind that the language bears the marks of its time, and some expressions are distant from modern English; reading with notes or an introduction is recommended.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginner to intermediate English readers who want to read children's literature in the original English
Readers interested in British children's literature of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century
Teachers and students studying W. H. Hudson's work or children's literature courses
Readers who like to read public-domain ebooks in fragmented time such as commuting

Not a good fit for

Advanced readers seeking difficult or long English originals
Readers who prefer modern fast-paced adventure stories and lack patience for old-style narration
Readers who need a Chinese translation or a detailed annotated edition to read smoothly

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the storyline, then read again to look up unfamiliar words and period expressions.
Note down passages of nature description as you read, and reflect on the relationship between environment and characters' moods.
Compare narrative styles with other public-domain children's literature of the same period.
Read one or two chapters a day, paired with English audio recordings to build language feel.

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

Is this book suitable for English beginners to read directly?

Not very suitable for complete beginners. The language carries early twentieth-century English habits, and sentence patterns and vocabulary are distant from modern English. Intermediate readers with some vocabulary who can read with a dictionary are advised to try it; beginners may start with a simplified or bilingual edition.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

This edition is a free ebook, easy to obtain on a computer, phone, or e-reader, and suitable for public-domain reading and course selection. The text is the original English and usually contains no modern introduction or detailed notes, so readers need to prepare their own reference books or supplementary materials.

What can one gain from reading this book?

You can encounter Hudson's delicate nature writing and portrayal of childhood psychology, learn about one aspect of early twentieth-century English children's literature, and accumulate experience reading English originals. If used for study, focus can be placed on how narrative structure works with environmental description.

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About the author

William Henry Hudson Author · British · 1841–1922

W. H. Hudson (William Henry Hudson, 1841–1922) was a British writer, naturalist and ornithologist. Born near Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1841, he spent his childhood on the Pampas and retained a lifelong attachment to the natural world of South America. He moved to England in 1869 and became a British citizen in 1900, and thereafter he long observed and wrote about the birds and landscapes of the English countryside. His writing blends naturalist observation with literary craft. His representative works, including Green Mansions, The Purple Land and Far Away and Long Ago, mostly take nature and the South American jungle as their subjects, while A Shepherd's Life, Birds in London and The Naturalist in La Plata record his close attention to rural life and birds. Sixteen of his works are held here, including novels, reminiscences and nature essays, written in a clear and highly personal style.