The book will be of special service to teachers seeking material for units of study on other lands for social science classes. Curriculum makers for elementary schools have set up such units to break away from the more formal units of geography and history, but have found their attempts to be only partially successful because of the dearth of suitable reading material to put into the hands of the pupils. (b) As Supplementary to Geography Schools having separate courses in geography will find Near the Top of the World a valuable supplementary reader. From the story Greeting a Strange Sun to the story Planting of the Flag of Norway at the Bottom of the Earth, there are experiences to help children interpret how people make their ways of living fit the land in which they live. (c) As Supplementary to History In the folklore, the Viking tales, the descriptions of castles and open-air museums, the readers of Near the Top of the World see history as the background for the present-day life of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. (d) For Recreational Reading Boys and girls, always interested in children of other lands, will find the book one to read just for fun. It will be especially liked by the children in America who are of Scandinavian origin or who have relatives in the Scandinavian countries. In whatever way the book is used, the readers cannot fail to make interesting discoveries about the Scandinavian countries that have so generously contributed to American citizenship. THE AUTHOR ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Contents NEAR THE TOP OF THE WORLD GREETING A STRANGE SUN ON THE SEAS OF THE FAR NORTH FISHING ISLANDS THE GIANTS OF THE NORTH LANDS IN THE LAND OF EVERGREEN TREES HOW THE MOUNTAIN WAS CLOTHED REINDEER LAND THROUGH FARM LANDS OF NORWAY IN THE HIGH PASTURES ON THE FLAT FARM LANDS OF DENMARK A TELLER OF TALES A CITY IN THE MIDST OF SEVEN MOUNTAINS IN A CITY BUILT ON ISLANDS THE CHILDREN OF THE NORTH CELEBRATE WINTER SPORTS IN THE NORTH LAND AT SCHOOL IN THE FAR NORTH IN AN OPEN-AIR MUSEUM A TALE OF A WANDERING STORY-TELLER BURIED TREASURES OF THE OLD SEA KINGS TALES OF THE OLD SEA KINGS IVAR, A VIKING BOY PLANTING THE FLAG OF NORWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EARTH BOOKS TO READ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Illustrations