15 AUGUST 1931, Page 26

Very few writers of modern fairy tales succeed in their

task, for they are, as a rule, too conscious and too descriptive : they merely tell an old story in a new and laborious manner. But Lady Frazer, perhaps because she has lived in the shadow of the Golden Bough, to whose author she pays tribute, knows exactly how to set about the story-telling business. She understands how the traditional simpleton should behave, realizes the importance of cumulative effect and knows that a fairy should never be described. The nineteen stories of The Singing Wood (Black, 5s.) are all beautifully written and suitable to be read aloud.