Evening star., 1935-11-17

JUVENILE "READING FOR FUN
Book Week Tempts Child Away From Serious Ruts and
Sets Standard-Mr Van Loon Explores New Regions.
Biographies Ranked Birthday Stories

Lands" may by inference be included
in this same group, for while 1t Is
not a book about foreign countries it
Is devoted to foreign customs. 1t Is
pleasantly illustrated in color, but one
regards 1t with suspicion, nevertheless.
It has, unhappily. the look Of .
sugared pill. One fears that its
authors, Anne Merriam Peck and Enid
johnson, we're secretly bent on q
higher educational mission than read.
Ing for fun. But children, Of course,
are used To medicine in disguise. The
work Is illustrated by Miss Peck and
published by the Albert Whitman
Co. ;.
Books for Very Young Readers.
Illustrated In q mood Of pure fam
tasy. its pictures portraying such per-
sonalities as Mr.. Ebb Tide and his
brother. Mr. Flood; Mr.. Fire, Mrs.
Night, Mr.. Shewer and Mr.. Wind, is
the book Of the adventures "in the
open" of Wrinkle. Twinkle and Lolly-
pop" by Nina Wilcox Putnam and
Norman Jacobsen. Its text is for very
young children, but its pictures-they
are by Katherine Sturges Dodge-are,
one feels, insidiouSly intended to
gather In father and mother, too.
Anyway, they are very pretty and inn
aginative. The publisher is the Wise
Parslow Co.
And still another book for the very
young is THE Blue Mittens," by Mary
K. Rely. with illustrations by Kurt
wiese. This book has been chosen by
the Junior Literary Guild as the book
Of the month for January. 1t is about o
little girl who lived on a farms gen.
Grafton ago. It Is published by z. M.
Hale g. Co.
More or Less Educational Books.
Leaping into modernity with ven-
geance Is Clara Lambert's Talking
Wires" which explains all about the
telephone and its characteristic habits.
Even with personal bias in favor OF
chipmunks and Eskimos one is obliged
to admit that this book looks very
well. It Is illustrated with more
than l40 photographs" (just how
many more the publisher does not say)
and contains several object lessons,
in the form of stories, as to how COM
Portable and clever a telephone can be
in the event of tidal waves and SIM
liar disturbances. No one would deny
these facts. Unfortunately, no one can
deny any fact, however, 90 that does
not seem to be much of commenda-
ton. Maybe boys will like 1t. The
publisher is Macmillan.
Tell Me q Birthday Story" by
Carolyn Sherwin Bailey. is collection
of brief biographies Of famous men
and women. arranged by calendar in
the order Of their births. 1t is done
attractively. but, somehow. one feels
that the title Is not quite fair. A story
Is q story and Q biography Is biog-
raphy and it will not be your young
reader who is caught mapping. Lewis
Carroll. Jacob Riis, Josiah Wedgewood
and Christopher Wren are some of the
subjects. At least the author has not
been conventional in her choices.
Frederick A. Stokes Co. Is the pub
Usher.
CONG ahead of the season and get.
~ ting into Christmas books We have
the publication Of the Augsburg Pub.
fishing House, Christmas. an Ameri.
can Annual Of Christmas Literature
and Art" This is an elaborate. color
full work, illustrated with photographs,
drawings and prints Of sacred paint.
ings and purporting to describe the
coming Of Christmas in many places
from ancient Byzantium to the lonely
Grenfell Mission in Labrador. This is
the fifth volume of the annual, which
is edited by r. z. Haugan. 1t is. Of
course, q work which might appeal to
older readers as well as children.
The story Of the life Of Christ, re-
told for children, has recently been
published under the title, His Name
Is Jesus" by the Reilly & Lee Co. The
author is John Watson Wilder. The
text follows the New Testament story
closely. but with the effort on the
authors part to bring the concepts
within child's understanding. It Is
done with considerable dignity. Its Il.
lustrations are by Janice Penney.
A Book for Adults as Well.
And last We mention Bob Davis in
imitable story Of his own boyhood,
THE Tree Toad" Beginning with the
sad episode which gained him the
nickname Toad" the veteran news
paper correspondent and author tells
series Of adventures in which he and
his brother Bill engaged long ago in
their young efforts to acquire fund
Of workable wisdom. 1t is richly hui
morous and the age of the reader
ought not to affect his enjoyment.
Frederick A. Stokes Co. Is the pub
Usher.