JUNIOR BOOKGUIDE My First Book of Nursery Rhymes Jenny Williams
(Nelson 9s 6r1). A small collection of
nursery rhymes for which Jenny Williams has drawn outstanding pictures which combine traditional nursery lore with the highest stan- dards of modern book design.
The Snowy Day Ezra Jack Keats (Bodley Head 15s). A brilliant American graphic artist captures absolutely the fascination a snowy day holds for a young child.
Harquin John Burningham (Cape 16s). A disobedient young fox goes down into the valley—but he becomes the hero of the family when he leads the hunt away from the den • and returns home with the squire's hat as trophy! Full colour pictures which silently blow the abolitionists' horn.
The Two Giants Michael Foreman (Brock- hampton 15s). An unusually powerful, humorous and well-designed picture book about a silly quarrel between two friendly giants and how the sun only shines again when they shake hands.
Annie, Bridget and Charlie Jan Pienkowski (Cape 21s). A Bright, Colourful, Daring even Exotic art nouveau A B C for Annie, Bridget, Charlie, Dad and Every member of the Famijy,L Follow this Line Michael O'Leary and Joho Haslam (Abelard-Schuman lOs 6d). The Letra- set technique was bound to make its way into children's books sooner or later; here, in an amusing story with a hint of the treasure hunt about it, it is used with good effect to show small black figures plodding along against a background of mountain peaks unlimited.'
Peter and the Wolf Sergei Prokofiev illus-i trated by Alan Howard (Faber, paper covers, 4s). One of Faber's new paper-covered small- scale reprints of their most successful large coloured picture books. Excellent value 4s stocking-fillers.
The Adventures of Tommy H. G. -Wells (Constable Young Books 13s 6d). H. G. Wells's- own pictures for this compact but meaningful story (about a proud man rescued from the sea by a small boy who gets an elephant as his reward) are as bright and humorous a coloured Lofting. A beautiful fragment, well worth rescuing from oblivion.
The Sea-Horse Frans van Anrooy illustrated by Jaap Tol (out. 16s). A boy who is afraid of the dark overcomes his fear by living it out in the company of his sea-horse, in an under- water dream. A skilful text almost ov.rw shadowed by flowing, deep-hued watercolant illustrations, one of which, that of the boy with the Sea King, bears comparison with the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
The City Adventures of Marmalade Jim Alan Sillitoe (Macmillan 18s). Marmalade Jim, a farm cat, goes to the city on the vegetable lorry. Dustbin Dan, leader of a fierce gang of market cats, tries to destroy him. Sillitoe's first book for children (aged five to seven) is illustrated with bright decisive pictures by Dorothy Rice.
The Two Windmills Maryke Reesink illus- trated by Georgette Apol (ow' 16s). A im fable, with bright pictures full of interest, about' a bad miller who tries to ruin a good miller's business—and how the good miller and his happy family bring about the bad miller's change of heart Sam, Bangs and Moonshine Evaline Ness (Bodley Head 13s 6d). Sam(antha) is a lonely little girl, Bangs is her wise cat and Moon- shine is the thing Sam cannot distinguish from Reality until near-tragedy thrusts the difference home to her. Paintings in muted tones add to the terror of what might have happened.
Previous page
