Lullabies and Baby Songs. Collected by Adelaide L. J. Gosset .
With Illustrations by Eva Roos. (Dent and Co. 3s. 6d.)—This "posy for mothers" is a very good collection of poems for and about children who are more or less " reluctantly " going " bed- ward." Though many of the modern lullabies are charming pieces of writing, they will be more interesting to the mother than to the child. The best sort of lullaby is often a mere crooning of certain words. For instance, the French jingle of " Un maron, deux marons, trois marons" repeated indefinitely might have a better result than Tennyson's cradle-song. Here is the first verse of a charming "Australian Cradle-Song," by Mr. John H. Wagner :—
" Over the hills and far away, Deep in the shady dell, The crystal fountains leap and play, a dream of delight is the livelong day, Over the hills and far away In the land where the fairies dwell."
Miss Eva Roos's drawings of children are delightful. The picture of Tom and his new bonnet is most engaging, and so is the little boy sitting listening to the elves in the long grass. She is not so successful where she attempts more imaginative illustrations as in the frontispiece.
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