Cautionary Tales For The Third Millennium

From the Author’s Note: When our children were little, my wife and I frequently read aloud to them. One of their favorite books was Cautionary Tales For Children by Hilaire Belloc. These classic verses feature an extensive catalog of little girls and boys who, through various misadventures and disobediences, come to horrible ends, but always with an edifying Moral appended at the conclusion. . . . But after the passage of over a century, it seemed like the verses were in need of a little updating—that a few modern cousins should be added. . . .Where Belloc’s children found misadventure through such homely objects as a balloon or a bit of string, today’s youngsters have an entire arsenal of high-tech gadgets at their fingertips to lead them ever more speedily toward disaster. . . . So that now, more than ever, some rigorous cautionary guidance is in order. May the unlucky boys and girls who occupy these pages serve as a stern warning to children—and parents—everywhere. . . .