The American Girls Handy Book: Making the Most of Outdoor Fun, by Lina Beard and Adelia B. Beard (Derrydale Press, 474 pages, $11.95 paperback).

The authors, along with their brother, Daniel Carter Beard, founded the Campfire Girls, and wrote this book first published in 1887 to match The American Boys Handy Book. I defy anyone to pick up this or Boys, for that matter and not be charmed into long musings. From First of April Party to Valentine Party, from Maple-wax Easter Eggs to How to Make a Butterfly Fan, there are endless entertainments, distractions and potential obsessions. And a great deal of outdoor instruction. If you believe that 115 years may have dated some of these practices and suggestions you might be right occasionally. But my guess is that far more than half have stood the test of time and would enchant todays children.