Children—of every age—who like original ideas will be charmed with
Miss Curtis Brown's zeollection- of " Quite Wild Animals." The drawings, ,which are reminiscent of "Lear's delightful_ figures, are very convincing, while the character sketches of the mythical bests are most entertaining reading. The- only- test of -a Cha:istmas book is to try it -On- a and the present writer has tried this on two children, who were so delighted with its contents that they insisted on choosing one animal each which was to be their own. The first choice, with which, of course, the elder child " got away," was the beautiful " Doolyboo "—a sweet and lady-like animal with a naive glance and a flexible neck something like a giraffe's. So attractive is this animal that the author. breaks into verse in the description. The younger child had to put up with " Blumpleby,"--who, it may be surmised, would be a more entertaining companion than the " Doolyboo." Whether she was attracted by the fact that the " Blumpleby " has not had a bath for three years, eight months, and four days I do not know, but, though his habits as described in the text arc unpleasant, there is a twinkle in the eye of his portrait which says much for his talents as a boon companion. The "book can be recommended as a charming Christmas 'present for any child with a whimsical sense of humour.
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