all tastes. For children interested in animals there are the Angus books by Marjorie Flack, the well-known little Beatrix Potter books, and the more sophisticated Winnie the Pooh stories by A. A. Milne. For children who have a passion for engines and steam-shovels and such things, there is an excellent series about The Little Red Engine by Diana Ross, beautifully illustrated, and the great favourite Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. Some children prefer stories about other children like themselves and there is a recently published Little Golden Book Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans, that has become immensely popular. Tastes may differ, but stories where something or somebody gets into trouble and gets out of it again are always enjoyed, most of all Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman, stands out on its own as an example of this kind of story. It is an old-timer, first published in 1899, but it has everything that will always appeal to the very young, striking illustrations, clear simple English, lots of trouble and excitement (tigers) and a safe happy ending (dinner). It is not so easy to reel off titles for the standards one and two child. As far as reading ability goes he is not much more advanced than the picture-book plus story stage, and the illustrations are still as important as the script, but his comprehension and grasp of detail in stories which are read to him is sometimes surprising. The Barbar series by Jean de Brunhoff, and the Orlando series by Kathleen Hale are both very popular, and far from being confused or bored by the number of minor characters and their many activities, children seem to delight in remembering the outlandish names and who did what, and love to identify them in the heavily detailed illustrations. It is also surprising how much they can appreciate a sophisticated and subtly humorous story like The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (Ferdinand is a fine bull who preferred flowers to bull-fights) so long as the vocabulary is not beyond them. But I think the most popular books are still those like Little Black Sambo with a central figure with whom the child immediately identifies himself, and who wins through at last against overwhelming odds. Tim to the Rescue by Edward Ardizonne is such a book, and The Little Steamroller by Graham Greene, with its brilliantly coloured illustrations is another. Small boys seem to have no difficulty in imagining themselves as steamrollers who chase smugglers. In the early standards, children become more interested in people of other lands, and will enjoy books like The Chinese Children Next Door by Pearl Buck, Riki the Eskimo by Penelope Gibson, Mitla and Lupe by Jose Sancha, and Living in a Maori Village by A. W. Reed, illustrated by Russell Clark. This is not to imply that Maoris fall into the category of “people of other lands”! But the Maori as he was is so different, culturally and socially, from the Maori as he is, that reading about the former is very much like reading about a stranger who has oddly familiar characteristics. Young children live in the present—today is more important than yesterday and tomorrow can hardly be imagined—and unless they are actually told about it or read about it, they can never lay claim to their historical past. I would hate to think that there are any Maori children, no matter how greatly they benefit from a European way of life, who are not aware that New Zealand history contains a pre-European era. In those days, historical knowledge was preserved and passed on to each succeeding generation by word of mouth, but the old schools have long since disappeared and with them most of the old teachers, and the Maori of today who wants to know how his ancestors lived, what they did and what they believed, must turn to books—ironically a product of the civilisation that has made him so different from the Maoris he will read about. Now all this points to one thing—children's books about Maoris must be good. Only the best will do. Some of the ones I have read, and I was disappointed to find so few, are good, but others could be better. I don't know why, but all of them with one exception are about early or pre-European Maoris. Besides Living in a Maori Village,” there is Pitama by John L. Ewing, and How the Maori Lived, Wonder Tales of Maoriland, The Coming of the Maoris to Aotearoa, Myths and Legends of Maoriland, all by A. W. Reed. Of these, Pitama, the story of the storming of Kaiapoi pa, comes nearest to the usual adventure story, but I have been told that the Wonder Tales are very much liked too. In my opinion the best of all is The Book of Wiremu by Stella Morice, a book that is well on the way to joining the small group of New Zealand classics. It is a beautifully written story in clear simple English with a faint Maori idiom, about a little Maori boy (of the present day) who lives in the country with his uncle that's all, no battles, no fireworks, no mystery. The author breaks all the rules but still succeeds, that's how good it is. Returning to the standards three and four group, we find that illustrations are becoming fewer and less important but animals that behave like humans are still very popular. A reliable librarian informed me that this age-group just love reading about pigs! Why, I can't imagine, but if you have a child like this, The Four Pigs by Alison Uttley, and Freddy's First Adventure by Walter R. Brooks are sure to please. There is one book I would specially recommend, Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. It is about a small girl who makes friends with a group of farmyard animals, especially the pig and a large grey spider Charlotte. The characterisation, the development of the fast moving plot, the humour and pathos, and the easy style are as good as those found in a first-class adult novel. Like all good children's books the adult who undertakes to read it aloud will enjoy it almost as much as the child listening. Compared with this, Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson is only a second-best, but still worth mentioning. Then of course, there are the famous Doctor