BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23203, 14 December 1940, Page 14

BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

AUSTRALIAN AIRMEN Daredevils' of the Skies, By Norman Ellison, Angus and Robertson Ltd. 139 pp. (4/9) A Sydney journalist, in this book, attractively presents stories of great Australian * aviators whose deeds have from time to time thrilled the world, from Lawrence Hargrave, the father of all flying pioneers, to the great trio of Smiths —Ross, Keith, and Charles Kingsford. Most of the stories have reached the front pages of the newspapers of the world; but every boy’s heart will thrill again to the retelling. Excellent illustrations enliven the stories. THE STORY OF A DOG Arrowflag. By M. E. Buckingham. Eyre and Spottiswoode, 147 pp. (5/- net,)

This book will be read with interest not only for its account of the adventures of the boy, Kesar, and his dog, Arrowflag, but also for the glimpses it gives of life in the interior of that mysterious country, Tibet, mysterious only because it is still little known. The author contrives to shew that the people are simple, ordinary folk, not very different, except in their environment, from people in other parts of the world. Little Kesar is very much a boy and Arrowflag very much a dog. Kesar and his dog run away from home and meet with many strange experiences and lively ad-

ventures before they return to the parental roof. Miss Buckingham makes characters and incidents thrillingly real. SHIPWRECK AND RESCUE Headhunters of the Coral Sea. By lon L, Idricss. Angus and Robertson Ltd. 196 pp. (4/9.) Mr Idriess, who has wandered far and wide through his native land of Australia, north to New Guinea, and to the islands that fringe the coast of Queensland, tells here the authentic story of the adventures of two boys, survivors of the wreck of the Charles Eaton on the Barrier Reef in 1834, of their subsequent capture by natives of the islands of Mer in Torres Strait, and of their lives for many years among the natives till they were rescued by His Majesty’s Colonial Sclmoner Isabella. Mr Idriess’s familiarity with native life in the islands of Torres Strait has enabled him to piece together a fascinating and thrilling tale that will be read with interest by boys of every age, as he himself says, “from nine to ninety. YOUNG EXPLORERS The Great Trek. By lon L. Idricss. Angus and Robertson Ltd. ,199 PP» (4/9.) Another book by Mr lon Idriess is also a story of the adventures of two boys. He makes fine use of the Australian pioneering background in this vigorous tale. Sons of John Jardine, Police Magistrate at Rockhampton in the late sixties of last century, Frank and Alexander were given the task of leading an exploratory expedition from Rockhampton to Somerset, at the top of Cape York peninsula. With four other whites, four aborigines, 42 horses, and a large mob of cattle, they set out on this 1800-mile trek through the wilds of Northern Queensland. It was a terrible journey through jungle inh. bited by fierce and hostile blacks. After 10 months’ travelling the men reached Somerset, but they were in a pitiable condition, exhausted, starving, and almost naked, and their stock and equipment were lost. The story of their adventures is well told in Mr Idriess’s usual racy style.

ROYAL GALLERY Kines and Queens. By Eleanor and Herbert Farjeon. With 40 coloured plates by Rosalind Thoraycroft. J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd. 86 pp. (6/- net.) From William of Normandy to King George VI, here in this delightful book are the Kings and Queens of England, the story 0 each told in lively rhymes, with a full-page portrait, in colours as lively set opposite. How charming is the summary pf the Victorian Age in five stanzas, with refrain. When the penny stamp was purple And the ha’penny stamp was red. But a complete poem is the only fair sort of specimen; so, tor Richard 111, 1483 — Crookback Dick Had nephews two, Younger than me. Older than you.

Crookback Dick, He spoke them fair, One was king, The other was heir.

Crookback Dick, He longed for power. So he smothered his nephews In the tower.

Nobody dared To say a word, And Crookback Dick . Became Richard the Third. First published in 1932, this book stopped then at the reign of King George V. Now two more Kings are included, Edward VIII and the King that everyone knows. ADVENTURE IN KENYA Mere Sketches of Kenya, Baden-Powell. Macmillan. 152 pp. (3/6 net.) The Chief Scout, Lord BadenPowell, in this new series of stories and sketches of life m Kenya, will delight every adventure-loving boy. In a lively, friendly fashion, while telling his stories, he imparts much interesting information about the habits of natives, animals, birds, and reptiles. The book is well illustrated with the author s own drawings.