PREFACE 
CHILDREN love action, and learn most rapidiy 
through their chosen activities. The word of most 
content for the child is the verb. The Action Primer 
abounds in verbs. The illustrations are pictures of 
children and animals in lively action. Many of the 
actions can be performed. in the class room, still fur- 
ther enlisting the glad coöperation of the child in 
his first reading lessons. "Che demands of the dy- 
namic side of education thus met, and the text 
speaking the child’s own favorite and most familiar 
thoughts, the reading period may be a happy and a 
wholesome one from the first. 
The Action Primer provides a progressive text, 
introducing not too many new words and reviewing 
sufficiently. It prescribes no method of teaching, 
but recommends the sentence and word methods for 
the first lessons and some application of phonetics as 
soon as the child has learned words enough to illus- 
trate any simple phonetic principle. For this pur 
pose it is best used in connection with such reading