Evening star., 1945-12-02

ToDAY, when the most devas-
tating war in the worlds
history is drawing toward
peace and the people of the earth
tremble in the knowledge that
the means of universal destruc-
ton is actually in the hands of
group of British and American
scientists, the education of youth
becomes of paramount Importance.
The platitude that the youth of to-
day is the man of tomorrow takes on
new significance when 1t is remem-
bered that the bare-kneed German
1O-year-old of 1888 became the SIS
fanatic of 1914 because all that he
had been told, all that he was per-
mitted to read taught him that only
he and his chosen allies could con-
quer the world.
That adults are concerned that
American youth shall be directed
toward ideals of fairness, that they
shall learn appreciation of their own
and other nations struggles for lib
erty, and become eager to share in
the solution of the present-day
problems OF the nations and see
peoples living peacefully together
regardless Of race and creed, is ap-
parent in many of the books for
young people coming out this year.
They may be for the very little folk
to whom Munro Leaf has directed
his Let's Do Better; the l0-year-
old who will read Janusz Korczak's
Matthew, the Young King" and
learn that the just government of a
people is not easy; or they may be
the teen-agers who get an introduc-
ton to the problems faced by the
founders of our Nation in "Son of
Thunder, Patrick Henry" by Julia
M. H. Carson, the story of the young
Virginian's militant struggle for an
opportunity for his people to live to-
gether in freedom. In lighter vein
the theme of learning to get along
with those who differ from us with
out fighting and without COM
promise is developed in Sandy"
story for older girls, by Elizabeth
Gray.
Told and RefoId
In times of stress there is always
a return to the tried and proven
great works of the past. 1t is pleas
ure this year to see many of the
basic children's books which have
been out of print for the duration
back on the book sellers shelves.
Among these are the beloved John
ny Grow" stories of Leslie Brooke,
the "Babar" books by Brunhoff,
picture books of Caldecott and
and Greenaway, and Beatrice Pot
ter's Peter Rabbit" series.
The lovely simplicity of Robert
Louis Stevenson's "Child's Garden
Of Verses" has been newly enhanced
by Roger Duvoisin's appealing child
like illustrations. A new series,
Picture Story Books" being brought
out at so cents, is introduced through
Andersen's ugly Duckling," with
bright illustrations by Rojankovsky
almost as distinguished as those he
made for the four separate Just
So Stories" by Kipling. A collection
OF long-beloved fairy tales dear to
the hearts OF generations of children
has been gathered together in "Ad-
venture, Rare and Magical" by
Phyllis Reid Fenner with illustra-
tions by Henry c. Pitz. Gay peasant
backgrounds by Irena Lorentowicz
illustrate Josephine B. Bernhard's
adaptation of Mine Cry-baby
Dolls" an amusing bit of Polish
folklore. A unique collection of 1T
tle-known fairy stories is based on
tales told in the Channel Islands,
THE Wizard and His Magic Pow
der" by Alfred S. Campbell
There is also beautiful 1945
printing of the Motteux transla-
tion Of Cervantes' The Adventures
of Don Quixote de la Mancha," for
which Warren Chappell has made
new color plates in addition to his
original line drawings.
Contemporary Tales
Popular as these oft-told works
may be, some fine contemporary
work is being done in the field Of
the imaginative tale. There Is the