10 SEPTEMBER 1921, Page 25

The Wherefore and the Why : Some New Rhymes for

Old Children. By A. P. Herbert. Illustrated by George Morrow. (Methuen. 3s. 6d. net.)—Many of Mr. Herbert's rhymes are most amusing, though, like many writers of verse ostensibly

for children, he gets mixed up in his appeal sometimes. Much of "The Snail," for instance, which the present writer tried on a young friend, was received in stony silence, yet it was not wholly for grown-ups. " The Flea," " The Chameleon," " The Spider," " The Pig," and " The Squirrel " were, however, received with approbation. All the drawings are exceptionally funny, and the book, as we should expect, well above the average of its kind.