Stories for younger readers

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33941, 6 September 1975, Page 10

Stories for younger readers

Girls who ride ponies in children’s books are seldom advised to wear scarves to hide love-bites on their necks, but it happens in WILD PONY, by Lucy Rees (Faber and Faber; N.Z. price $5.70). But, whoa, it’s all perfectly innocent — or nearly so. Pippa, rising 15, has boyfriends to be sure and she does experiment with what was once known as necking, but her heart belongs to a wild pony she buys on a Welsh farm and breaks in. If Lucy Rees, who runs a riding school, knows her horses, she is even more perceptive about growing up. The result is an engaging story, spiced with adventure, which is much truer to life than most of the genre.

The rhino which Topper drew 7 on the wallpaper with a magic pencil let out a rumbling noise, turned its head and stepped out on the floor, involving, it seems, half of the town in its subsequent adventures. But Ole Lund Kirkegaard’s OTTO IS A RHINO

(N.Z. price $5.15), translated skilfully from the Danish by Joan Tate, is more than a fantasy; it is full of wit, charm and shrewd observations on the games people play and will strongly appeal to under 10s. Parents too will enjoy the story-, published by Pelham Rooks, which is just as well for it is best read aloud. SIR ORFEO by Anthea Davies is a retelling of a medieval English poem based on the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. In the poem the tragic legend has become more of a fairy tale and Sir Orfeo, unlike the original harpist, wins back his lady and lives happily in his kingdom for manyyears. Anthea Davies has told the tale simply and directly yet retains the hamting and supernatural overtones. Faber Paperback (N.Z. price $1.50), the book has illustrations by Errol Le Cain, delicate, detailed, and glowing with colour in the style of an illuminated medieval manuscript.