Josef Carl . Grund's Vendetta (Chatto and Windus, 15s.) is
set in Corsica and, as the book's title suggests, it is concerned with the passionate griefs, quarrels and jealousies that seem to happen only in Corsica or Sicily. These are adult themes and subjects, but they are brought within the grasp of a child's comprehension by means of the small boy, Pietro, who is persecuted for the crimes committed by his father. Kurt Schmischke's subtle drawings make their own comment on the text. Ilse Kleberger's Grandmother Oma (Bodley Head, 13s. 6d.), is set in Germany and is an alto- gether happier story than Vendetta. Fabulous, or slightly dotty, grandmothers can never, I think, fail to hold a child's attention and Grandmother Oma is certainly no exception.. Patricia Leitch's Treasure to the East (Gollancz, 15s.) is, perhaps, a slightly pretentious story, since it claims to deal, not always successfully, with those most difficult themes of all—good and evil. One feels that the author has not quite paid amply enough for the forces she tries to bring into existence; I believe a child will notice this at once.
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