No marks to the Harvill Press for reissuing Mrs. Molesworth's
two fairy stories with only two mingy frontispieces. They lose enormously from being stripped of their Victorian engravings; but, catering for younger children than the rest of this list, they are as comfortable as ever to read aloud, particularly The Tapestry Room, a fairy story with a raven-sorcerer in a French household. The Ruby Ring will please self-satisfied 6-year-olds; it is ANTHOLOGIES are invaluable as Christmas presents because of their appeal to a wide range of ages and interests. Faber's two collections, Stories for Boys and Stories for Girls will prob- ably be read by the whole family. For the boys there is a selection from writers of this century: stories of school, sport, animals and ghosts, sail- ing and flying, and a most amusing shaggy dog story of an octopus. 12-year-olds will probably enjoy the largest number of stories, but many will be enjoyed by older boys. 13 to 14 is a better age for the girls' collection which is virtually a new book since the revision of the 1938 edi- tion. Younger children will enjoy the fantasies of de la Mare and Eleanor Farjeon, while for the older ones there are Elizabeth Bowen and A. T. Quiller-Couch (ghosts), Emily Carr and Eudora Welty, 0. Henry, 'Saki,' Katherine Mansfield and many others. No school, theatre or ballet stories.
The Bran Tub
Stories for Boys. Chosen by Anthony Buckeridge. (Faber, 15s.) Stories for Girls. Chosen by Kathleen Lines. (Faber, 15s.) This Way Delight. Selected by Herbert Read, illustrated by Charles Stewart. (Faber, 15s.) The Children's Bells. Selected by Eleanor Farjeon, illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. (Oxford, 15s.
Rhyme and Reason. Chosen by Raymond O'Malley and Denys Thompson. (Chatto and Wind 9s. 6d.) Yugoslav Folk-Tales. Retold by Nada Curci ja-Prodanovic, illustrated by Joan Kiddell-Monroe.
(Oxford, 15s.)
Legends of the Welsh Hills. By William Glynn-Jones, illustrated by Douglas Relf. (Mowbray,
8s. 6d.) Spanish Fairy Tales. Retold by John Marks, illustrated by Hazel Cook. (Muller, 12s. 6d.)
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