FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21970, 19 December 1936, Page 17

FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

I DISCOVERY rmto'd Story cf Exploration. By l Thomas. George G. HarjSd Co. Ltd 270 pp. (8/6 net.) 4omas has made a collection r j es about all kinds of inter- ' persons who are little known L reader of ordinary history. »unsung heroes, some of whom '' . j ce scoundrels, contributed in our knowledge of the geo-i-of the world. Even as tothe search for new markets *L sources of supply was the for many of the explorations ?aken by these adventurers on f of far-seeing but less romances in the background. Others, otitlv inspired, went into wild fnurely for the love of advened brought back with them prful new knowledge, geoSl and scientific. Most of heroes were men of ancient • but a few more modern exre appear, including Captain L Thomas, who in 1930 ,d the great Arabian desert, tub' Al Khali, and served as and judge over a huge section esopotamia, while still in his twenties. Not quite as modjut the more remarkable beshe was born in an age when ration was considered a most manly occupation, was Mary jley, daughter of an explorer, Kto undertook among wild tnbes in fcrtbenv Africa to complete the Lrkher.father had begun, and belame a great deal more famous than ft Anting adventurers of more refnote times are Chang K'ien, who, long before Christ was born, conliicted i expeditions into Central Isia'; Will Adams, the ship's carCer Who became adviser to the piperoi' of Japan; William Damfe, buccaneer and explorer, who pled round the world; and Pytheas, iGreefeborn where Marseilles now Bands, who first ventured into the Irctic.' Mr Thomas does this kind If tbin# extraordinarily well. J GREAT DREAMERS Drabs Come True. By Arthur Moe. Hodder and Stoughton. 184 pp. (j/6 net.) From W. S. Smart. Mr Arthur Mee's books for boys md girls are always commendable. p this one he has assembled a collection of great men, some of them ittle remembered, who went hrough life inspired by dreams for he good of their fellows, and at peat sacrifice made their dreams mt true. A few of these great lames are: Samuel Plimsoll, who levoted his life to making ships afer for sailors; James Clark Maxfell, Marconi, and others, who irought to us the wonders of this rireless age; Edwin Chadwick, who taght against slum conditions and Md slavery; Charles Tilson Bright, ifholaid the first Atlantic cable; and Baden-Powell, who founded the jreat boy scout movement. This is ii inspiring book. • .THRILLING DEEDS tofter Heroes of Modern Adventure. BrT. C. Bridges and H. Hessell TUtafen. George G. Harran and Co. Ltd. 269 pp. (7/6 net.) I TMs copiously illustrated volume Inscribes., in detail, modern exploits Amvie' hitherto been only iriefy reported, yet are worthy to ant with the finest acts of bravery mdjiardihood in history. Such are he first flight over Mount Everest; fyrfaih JSyston's creation of a new raid speed record; Mr G. H. fooWles's' experiences with mana% tigers in the Indian jungle; Irif, Roberts's 7000-mile ocean oyagf in a tiny smack; the terrible iWences of British missionaries g>iie n prisoners of the Chinese jwds"; and many another bloodWing experience. This is a splenw record of great deeds. , ; FINDING LONDON KeiMl's London. By Elizabeth MonJBMlbert. Hamish Hamilton. 223 tl> '(7/6 net.) New Zealand boys and girls will Wbably be astonished as well as (wbed as they read how much of "Kiting interest is to be disw «Sd in daily walks in out-of-the-»>y Places in London. Illustrations k ui ap ? con tribute extensively to of the instructive but TO tediously didactic narrative I ™ e adventures of a little boy, JJJjg, while exploring with his '«iu|ent governess the byways of he greatest British city. TjHE NEW FOREST lon ms? cks - B y Elizabeth Snrigge. Pwated. by Lionel Edwards. "fre *nd Spottiswoode. 157 pp. »/6 net.) This is a delightful book which all T*en who love animals and the life will thoroughly enJ* Many of the young New ZeaH* w «o read the book will, if be »I na PP ene d to serve in miJt were sent to Brockenbe able to question Sfut the New Forest, in place the story is J* summer holiday in the New >fi 38? P° nies to rid e and dogs lata, it and Peasant companions ffi- he fun —this is the delightad&f lence of Georgina, Nicholas, >ijS ? form a Forest Fellow'ntartls fl ave the most exciting adkeS Tne illustrations add to of the story. I MAD AND MERRY Highway. By Norman Sh*P* . Angus and Robertson. Lindsay probably had ijjjvfe much fun in writing and »Nft? ting this book as hundreds »2? young and old ' will have it. For Mr Lindsay knows 'tout boys and something about Bui? d °ne suspects that he also yg that fathers or mothers ttjris tne book to their children *o -ft to a chuckle or "ttritf T n Egbert Tompkins and Wj' w e ** ones discover in the Kitchen garden Silvander who has cow's *aMw' Wears horns and a flowing Ht«« start on the maddest and Series of adventures that 'bVtof 0r S irl could have. Dan, ilhJ«*« his Christian name last, CI 68 the P air t 0 the Flyaway lffig>Which leads them into a t country of changing 'Ufifflr * nnab ited by characters to those discovered iJgP* and modern fiction. On JUjjS; road the most fc?&JL Bnd ridiculous adventures **Bn? by the three friends > too'reaJ* be .enjoyed by everyone this charmingly funny

X Christmas Book List

CHILD ARTIST Songs and Pictures by a Child. Edited by Doreen Bland. Williams and Norgate. 72 pp. (6/. net.) This book consists of drawings in pencil and colour by a boy between the ages of 3£ and 5* years. The whole production is remarkable for spontaneity and originality of an unusual degree. The poems are thoughts chanted aloud when he was unaware that he was observed. I can hear little bits behind my ears, That I am not talking about. I can Four and Twenty Blackbirds But [ am not saying it. It is a noise thing, I just hear it, It is inside my ears. And more childlike: I do want to see a train come down, It would come down so terrifically. And in autumn: I love gales I jump, And dogs play leaf games. They play from leaf to leaf And gallop. Mazo de la Roche gave us five year old Gillian singing to the seahorses in a lovely free chant. We have all heard children droning nonsense songs; but Doreen Bland has listened to some purpose and has published "without his knowledge or approval, and dedicated it to him." It is an interesting little volume; but it is difficult to see why it was published for public sale. (i) The Story Book of Clothes, (ii) The Story Book of Iron and Steel. By Maud and Mi ska Peterslum. J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd. (2/6 net each.) These two books are instructive, but instructive in an interesting way, and are additions to the "Petersham Series." Little girls will be interested to read how, among other things, the wife of a Chinese Emperor watched a silk worm—"the ! honourable littlee gentleman"— | spinning its cocoon, and realised its possibilities, and how American Indians treat the bark of trees to make cloth. And all boys will follow with interest the romance of iron and steel. (i) Nicodemus and His Gran'pappy. (ii) Bear Twins. By Inez Hogan. J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd. (2/6 net each.) These books are for the child of about five. Nicodemus is a small darkie, who has lost his noun' dog and, while looking for him, finds a little black bear, and ties a rope round his neck. The little black bear follows along behind—because he has to ... . Johnnie and Jimmie, the small brown bears, are just as quaint as Nicodemus, and comparison is impossible. They all have unusual adventures, told just as well by brush and crayon as by pen, and all are very attractive. Why didn't we have these books when we were very young? The print, by the way, is extraordinarily good. SMUGGLERS Smugglers* Gallows. By Stanton Hope. Illustrated by Cecil Aldin. Evre and Spottiswoode. 209 pp. (7/6 net.) | No adventurous boy will be able to resist this stirring story of a [boy's exciting experiences among smugglers on the Sussex coast in the early years of the nineteenth century. At constant war with the coastguards, the smugglers needed courage and resource to achieve their illegal ends; and the coastguards had to be even more courageous and resourceful to defeat them. Ralph Howard sets out to avenge his father, an excise-man killed by a gang of the scoundrels. How the boy eventually achieves his object makes a thoroughly satisfactory and thrilling story. MUMFIE THE ELEPHANT Here Comes Mumfie. By Katharine Tozer. Illustrated by the author. John Murray. 196 pp. (5/- net.) To open a stocking so early on Christmas morning that it is still almost Christmas Eve, and to be met by a small, rather fat voice muttering "Poof! it's very stuffy in here," is a quite surprising experience even for a boy called Tommy in a book. But this is the way Miss Tozer begins her new jolly stories of Mumfie the elephant. They are. bounteously illustrated with Miss Tozer's very special drawings of girls and boys and policemen, elephants and hats and walking sticks. As for the conversations, they are indeed startling and wholly pleasant. DOG STORY Chinese Puzzle. By Rumer Godder. Peter Da vies Ltd. 149 pp. (6/net.) Through Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd. This is a book especially for doglovers and more especially for Pekingese-lovers. It is a delicate little tale of the incarnations of a Chinese gentleman, the last being as a Pekingese of great distinction, "Black face, full feathered." Wong Li tells an appealing story; but as Ting-Ling in his later life he captures the imagination completely, as he recounts his joys and trials among the other dogs, the bull-terriers, mastiff, spaniel, Dalmatian, and foxterrier, and Citron, the exceedingly nasty cat. Ting-Ling was an aristocrat and his story will rank high among the dog-stories of literature. A gift for the young person. TIM PIPPIN AGAIN Giant-Land. The Wonderful Adventures of Tim Pippin. By "Roland Quiz." Joiner and Steele. (7/6 net.) This is a reissue of one of a once famous series of books for boys. Sir James Barrie and Israel Zangwill have said that the "Tim Pippin" stories were their favourites in boyhood days, and that they considered them as classics. The original copies are very scarce indeed, and would probably be worth quite £ 50. The new edition, in good type, with the original illustrations by John Proctor carefully reproduced, is presented in attractive modern style and makes an imposing and exciting looking volume. Any boy would rejoice in this book, and while enjoying its tales will be reading good, fluent, and scholarly English.

TREASURE, TOO! Two Boys Go Sailing. By Conor O. Brien. J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd. 246 pp. (6s net.) The capital merit of Mr O. Brien's story of the adventures of two boys sailing a boat in the waters of Southern Ireland is that he "makes all fast" with the kind of detail which is real and practical and just-so. The map (though it is not a "true" map), the handling of the boat, the descriptions of land and water, weather, birds, and people, all are so managed as to help in bringing off with the click of truth the great adventures—including a treasure hunt! The tale is a splendid invention, because "it might be" and "it happened that way" are the same exciting thing. For boys—and why not girls?—from 10 to 14. THE BEE PEOPLE Claudius the Bee. By John F. Leemingr. George G. Harrap and Co. Ltd. 159 pp. (5/- net.) This is an amusing and charming tale of a small boy whose natural kindliness leads him to save the life of a bumble-bee. This results in his becoming the honoured guest of the bee-community. He finds bee people exactly like humans. They are good or bad, boring or amusing, touchy about their ages, fussy about the correct thing, and altogether successful in making him feel at home. The author, who is a brilliant aviator, an expert gardener, and a writer of technical handbooks, is evidently a student of men. for his pages are full of good portraits and sly digs at certain types. . Adults will enjoy the humour, which will be more obvious to them; but no child will be able to resist the charm of either the boy or the King bee Claudius. The illustrations by Richard Bogle are excellent. NURSERY NUMBERS Numbcrland. By Christy Bcntzon and Marie H.iuler. J. M. Dent and and Sons Ltd. (2/6 net.) This is a nursery favourite from Denmark. Large and brightly coloured illustrations will prove attractive to small children, who will surely gain a good notion of number as they become familiar with its pages. It has the unusual merit of being inexpensive in spite of its size and appearance. FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE | The Little Boy and his House. By Stephen Bone and Mary .Adshear. J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd. (7/6 net.) The two artists responsible have produced a geography book for the young child, under the guise of a large and brightly decorated picture book. The letterpress is in the script form familiar to young scholars, and the illustrations are of the bold and simple type. The story is a pleasant one and the little boy will be envied by his readers, who will incidentally learn some facts about nouses in other lands. A handsome gift book. CHILDREN'S NOVEL Ballot Shoes. By Noel Streaffield. J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd. 304 pp. (6/- net.) Labelled for "readers of eleven years and over,", this handsome "children's novel" with its exquisite silver dust cover looks as delectable as it is. The story is based on authentic facts in the lives of child actors, and it trips along as briskly and entertainingly as a well-ex-ecuted ballet. The illustrations, too. seem to have just run lightly off the pen and are exactly right. Altogether a most charming gift book. THE HOUSE-HUNTERS A IlfMi-e for a Mouse. By Cicely Englefield. John Murray. 43 pp. (2s net.) Miss Englefield's brown harvestmice, Jemima and James, need "a house of their own." James is too lazy to build and Jemima gives in to him; so they consult House-agent Mole and look up his addresses—of "comfortable nest in the middle of a large gorse bush . . . nicely lined best mud," etc., etc. Disappointments and a frightful adventure convert James to Jemima's right-minded view, and wisdom is cheaply purchased at Mole's fee of three worms. Young children will rejoice in the simple story and the illustrations. THE FIGHT FOR THE DOLLS' HOUSE Squirrel War. By Helen Williams. Hamuli Hamilton. 92 pp. (3s net.) Red Squirrel, the little fellow, and Grey Squirrel, the big one, contended for the ownership of the elegant dolls' house in the Flibberty Wood oak. Naturally, Red would not give it up without a struggle after finding in the kitchen a shorthandled broom, quite perfect for brushing his tail, and a fork in tho dining-room to take out the tangles. . . . But Grey was crafty and strong; and Red suffered much and needed much help before he and his Rubina were safe in possession. It is a good story, and Cicely Englefield's drawings fit it well. For "people from five to nine."