A larger book, “Rosebud’s Letter and Other Stories,” published by D. Lothrop & Co., 1883, has no inscription. Its 32 pages are printed in large type, with many words unnecessarily hyphenated, encouraging the young reader to sound out each syllable. Its 28 illustrations are fascinating examples of Victorian sweetness and innocence that is hard to describe.

The fourth and largest book, “Legends of the Red Children,” has an inside-page inscription: “From Ila M. Burns to Mabel Forrester, June 5, 1901.” The date would have been my mother’s sixth birthday. Ms. Burns may have been a teacher or family friend. But the content of the book, published in 1897 by the Werner School Book Co., was subtitled “A Supplementary Reader for Fourth and Fifth Grade Pupils.” My mother probably would have had to wait a few years to read it.

The author was Mary Louise Pratt, an American educator, physician and writer who lived from 1857 to 1921, according to Wikipedia, who added she was the author of more than 40 children’s books, mostly relating to history and nature sciences.

The 128-page book is a collection of stories, beautifully illustrated and written from a child’s perspective, generally in the style of Longfellow. In fact, Longfellow’s “Song of Hiawatha” is reprinted as one of the “legends.” Today’s critics might be tempted to view the work as fostering stereotypes, but at least young readers in my mother’s day would find the work sympathetic to indigenous tribes, at a time when many writers portrayed them as “savages.”

Examples of “Legends” can be found online, with prices ranging from $8 to $34. Amazon sells reprinted copies; the softback version is offered at $20.95.