Two picture books for children, each first- class in its
way, to add to your list. Mr. Osmond has had the excellent idea of telling the history of an ordinary English valley from prehistoric times to 1900. His valley is imag:nary but typical, and we see the effect upon it of Iron Age men, of Romans, Saxons, Normans and their successors. Each age has a two-page colour plate, bold and effective (if a little muzzy), and well calcu- lated to give the 9-13 age-group a vivid element of local history. The text is about right for children whose vocabularies are already fairly large ; this is a book which will be relished by future scholarship candidates.
Tim in Danger is a charmer for those who still have to be read to, an adventure story with a happy ending and a scornful disregard for adult reality. Mr. Ardizzone's water-colour illustrations are reproduced in style, as they deserve to be.
N.-P. R.
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