BOOKS FOR CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18943, 14 February 1925, Page 4 (Supplement)

BOOKS FOR CHILDREN.

A MODERN FAIRY TALE. ■ Few venture to write books for young ! children, and, among- their efforts, very few have any permanence. In " The Little Round House" (Paul), Marion St. John Webb lias provided a story- o! ad- j ventures in wonderland that, may gain a j place among the elect. There is a sugges- j tion of the influence of Lewis Carroll, for the little boy Robin finds, nob a new ■world, but strange people inhabiting a post office pillar box. But it. is only a suggestion; there is no underlying problem in chess, and the quaint, adventures of Robin never go beyond the comprehension of children. The characters are distinguished by, queer eccentricities of manner or features from ordinary folk, and have alluring magical powers. It is a delightful j book, with equally delightful illustrations. A companion volume from the same publishing house is " The Normons' Saturday Fairy Book." a collaboration by Marjory Rovee, Barbara E. Todd, and Moira j Meighn, while Miss Webb contributes j verses. . The title refers to the idea of a j story for morning and evening of every j Saturday in the year, and as provision has j been made for the occurrence of five Sat- i nt-days in a month, the. volume contains I 120 chapters. Many of them arc simple nature and, fairy stories; others arc intended to be informative rather than merely entertaining. The "Saturday Hook ' v,oultl not be chosen in preference to the '•Round House," but it would be i welcomed as a companion to it.