A selection of Books for the Young

Stories for Girls

Choseti by KATHLEEN LINES

0. Henry to Painzla Whitlock. 15/-

Stories for Boys

Chosen by ANTHONY BUCKERIDGE "A very successful anthology." JUNIOR BOOKSHELF. 15/-

The Green-Coated Boy

MARJORIE DIXON & RICHARD KENNEDY Adventures and misadventures away up the Shannon, with lake islands, gypsies and near calamity at the famous Puck Fair. Illustrated by RICHARD KENNEDY.

12/6

Sir Francis Drake

CHRISTOPHER LLOYD A realistic, brisk and warming biography. "It tells what could crown a man of genius when the world was young: fortune, fame and immortality." DAILY TELE- GRAPH. With 7 plates and a map. 12/6

Come to the Fair

Edited by BARBARA IRESON

A charming anthology of fairground rhymes and

verses. With drawings by SHIRLEY HUGHES. 8/6

A Light Dozen

JANET McNEILL Light-hearted stories by the author of A Pinch of Salt, illustrated by ROWEL FRIERS. 10/6

Polutin and the Red Indians

NORMAN MOMMENS

Polutin, a very nice skunk, will surely win the hearts of young readers as easily as Fifofus and Dib Dib. With drawings by the author, half of them in colour, on every page. 10/6

The Adventures of Polly and the Wolf

CATHERINE STORR "This wolf is a ridiculous old fellow whose failures have an absurd and clownish appeal; against the sensible little Polly he simply hasn't a chance." TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT. With drawings by M. A. WATTS.

9/6

About Barney

ANNE CASSERLEY "The donkey in About Barney is Irish, argumentative and obstinate. Along with a Farmer, a Leprechaun, a Grey Goose and a talking cat he is in for some gay and fey adventures." TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT. Drawings by RICHARD KENNEDY. 9/6 a bird-Lindbergh. Well produced, but very little reading matter for the money. Those who liked The Bull that was Terrific° will want The Little Banditta (5 to 9), and it would be a par- ticularly suitable present for a child who lives in Spain or South America. Spanish words are sprinkled through the text (there's a glossary at the end) and much of the rest is written in the style of 'He has. a coldio in his headico.' Illus- trated copiously in Cam's grotesquio-comico style.

Fantasy next. The Silver Nutmeg is an unusual, rather lavender-scented tale about a little girl who jumps through a dewpond into the inside of the earth, where the laws of gravity are dis- organised. The pictures are imaginative, and it would be a good present for an introverted, dreamy, only child of 7 to 10. A Light Dozen (8 to 10) is made up of fables with hinted-at morals of an adult sort; there are some good ideas in it, such as the weathercock that laid eggs speckled with gold, and the last story is a seasonable one about a mouse and a coloured glass ball. The authoress of Pineapple in Candy- land (5 to 7) is fond of reading Proust and Henry James, we are told on the dust-cover. We certainly wouldn't have guessed it. The characters have names like Sugar Plum and Marzipan and

Age Group: 8 to 14.

HERE is a winter crop of children's books that seems to be keeping safely in the rut. Dipping in and out of this long-discarded world, while the space-satellites whirl up above, makes one feel quainter than the Dodo.

There seem to be four kinds of children's book which recur year after year : horse books, family adventure stories, school stories, and whim- sy. My first pick is horsy, but adulterated with a dash of continental travel.

Penny in Italy, by Stephen Tring, starts off in a jolly, energetic way. Penny is a nice country girl, of course rather poor, of course pony- mad. Some rolling-rich neighbours called Wally- Smith arrive, with their can't-ride-for-toffee only ,daughter, who lets Penny ride her pony, Sparkle, in the local gymkhana. Penny ig- nores the voices of her Super-ego and obeys the bellowings of her Id. She 'nits Sparkle at a five-barred gate and he crashes; she is con- cussed; the pony shot. Penny's guilt is so great Penny in Italy. By A. Stephen Tring, illu,strated by T. I. B. Freeman. (O.U.P., 9s. 6d.) The Hag Calls for Help. By Lorna Wood, illustrated by Joan Kiddell-Monroe. (Dent, 10s. 6d.) Sara Goes to Germany. By Mabel Esther Allan. (Hutchinson, 8s. 6d.) Jacqueline Rides for a Fall. By Pat Smythe, illustrated by J. E. McConnell. (Cassell, 10s. 6d.) King of the Wind. By Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Sheila Rose. (Constable, 12s. 6d.) Horse in the Clouds. By Helen Griffiths, illustrated by Edward Osmond. (Hutchinson, 12s. 6d.) Faraway Farm. By Hilary Fitzgerald, illustrated by Peter Biegel. (A. and C. Black, 9s. 6d.) Fiona Leaps the Bonfire. By Patricia Lynch, illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. (Dent, 12s. 6d.) Summer Term at Melling. By Margaret Biggs, illustrated by Ruth Burell. (Blackie, 6s.) Vendetta. By Mary Fitt, illustrated by Klixby Watson. (Nelson, 8s. 6d.)

The Mystery of the Strange Message. ByEnid Blyton. (Methuen, 10s. 6d.)

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The story of Cinderella is a very old one, but what a good plot it has ! Quentin Bell has written delightful variations on the old theme, and his coloured plates are full of romance and excite- ment. A charming present for a 5- to 8-year-old: Hamish Hamilton's two series, the 'Reindeer and the 'Antelope Books' keep up a respectable standard at a reasonable price. Of this year's 'Reindeers' (7 to 10), the best is Trudi and Hansel, an Alpine fairy story with a distinct Hans Andersen sparkle; highly recommended for a child who is going ski-ing this winter. Wandering Wind is an innocuous tale about badgers and hedgehogs in the Wind in the Willows tradition, with very nice pictures.

The 'Antelopes' (5 to 8) have very big print and are written in simple language designed for those who have recently learnt to read. James the Policeman would be excellent for little boy interested in motor-cars, and has an exciting plot. So has Johnnie-by-the-River, a story of rescue from floods. The Lifeboat Fish stands on its tail on the pier to collect money and involves the little boy hero in magical ad- ventures between whiles. FRANCES PARTRIDGE that her schoolmistress'suggests a trip to Italy with a chum called Marcella Sosporro. On the Rome Express the girls get involved in the affairs of a Miss Hope-Winter. Good entertainment for age 10 and over. T. B. Freeman's illustrations are not inspiring.

I suppose there are some credulous children left who like whimsy: cats called Sooty-legs, tame witches who sip nettle tea, and bird- watching uncles. Lorna Wood has dished up some rather lumpy magic in The Hag Calls for Help. Her family are dull; the Hag even dul- ler. These children are always arguing about who shall have first go at the foot-scraper. They meet a talking bird cal- led Rascallite, to which I was allergic. Not much good for age 10 and over, but the 6-to-9s may enjoy it. Joan Kiddell-Monroe's illus- trations are lively; in fact they help to prop up the book.

Eleven for Young Britishers

The Hag Calls for Help. By Lorna Wood, illustrated by Joan Kiddell-Monroe. (Dent, 10s. 6d.) Sara Goes to Germany. By Mabel Esther Allan. (Hutchinson, 8s. 6d.) Jacqueline Rides for a Fall. By Pat Smythe, illustrated by J. E. McConnell. (Cassell, 10s. 6d.) King of the Wind. By Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Sheila Rose. (Constable, 12s. 6d.) Horse in the Clouds. By Helen Griffiths, illustrated by Edward Osmond. (Hutchinson, 12s. 6d.) Faraway Farm. By Hilary Fitzgerald, illustrated by Peter Biegel. (A. and C. Black, 9s. 6d.) Fiona Leaps the Bonfire. By Patricia Lynch, illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. (Dent, 12s. 6d.) Summer Term at Melling. By Margaret Biggs, illustrated by Ruth Burell. (Blackie, 6s.) Vendetta. By Mary Fitt, illustrated by Klixby Watson. (Nelson, 8s. 6d.)