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Lassie v. Huck Having seen the Russian schoolboy off to a flying start. Critic Trace builds his case with a comparison of more advanced teaching of literature and history. He contrasts U.S. fifth-graders reading excerpts from Lassie Come Home with Russian fifth-graders reading Huckleberry Finn. He finds that the 45% of Russian seventh-graders who study English know more English literature than U.S. seventh-graders. He details the toughness of Russian history courses; a typical question for sixth-graders is: "What were the causes of the First Punic War?"
Have Trace and Walcutt overdrawn their cases? There will be U.S. school superintendents who say so. But many teachers are beginning to realize that the U.S. is in crying need of textbooks that shun triviality and push vocabulary growth.
* Published by Scott, Foresman and Company. Another leading series: Alice and Jerry Basic Reading Program, grades 1-6 (Row, Peterson and Company).