Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-03-06
For Boys and Girls

IL Is IOb O1lly OAAlOuBA vi
ography that children's books
are answering the demand for
stories of real people" and
true adventures" In fiction.
too, there are an increasing
number Of children's books
which are convincingly true
to-life, with plots which spring
from character and circum-
stance, rather than contrived
objectives.
Less often, these days, do
we find o book in which peo-
pie are all good or all bad.
Especially for the early teens.
it Is important to emphasize
the complexity Of human ma
ture, the variety Of motives
which influence all Of us, the
moments of fear as well as
courage.
Three recent adventure
stories are especially success
full in combining this realistic
approach with good story
telling. One of these concerns
a mountain-c climbing adven-
ture in Switzerland: another
is laid in Biblical times; a
third concerns the early In
dian tribes of our Southwest.
Each in its way should appeal
strongly to modern youngsters.
A Test Of Manhood
BY way Of introduction to
Banner in the Sky" will say
that mountain climbing is
nothing in my life. I have
looked at the mountains Of
Switzerland and Austria, with
out the slightest desire to risk
my neck on their steep and
incredible slopes. Not for me
the agony of inching up sheer
rock, the terrible threat of in
slant death. But once you
have read the first chapter of
Banner in the Sky" you see
the Alps through Rudi's eyes.
You share Rudi's overwhelm-
ing ambition to climb the Cita-
del. highest peak of all.
No matter that Rudi's father
and other superb mountain
GERS have been beaten by its
icy slopes, its avalanches, its
treacherous weather. No mat
ter that the natives Of neigh
boring Swiss villages shake
their heads and talk of de-
mons. You know that it is
unfair for Rudi's mother to
deny him the JOY Of following
in his fathers footsteps. You
are glad there is a crazy Eng
lishman willing to risk adding
a boy to his crew for the
ascent.
The Love Of High Places
You are thankful for old
Teo. the crippled cook at the
inn where Rudi has a job as
dishwasher. Old Teo is no fool.
He knows that a boy Of the
mountains, who has the love
Of high places in his blood,
can no more become q good
dishwaSher than q sea cap
tain's son. with seawater in
his veins, can become q good
farmer.
Banner In the Sky" by
James Ramsey Ullman Lip
pincott. $2.75), is a book too
good to miss. Ullman is a
mountaineer himself, whose
sons have followed him up
dangerous slopes. He knows
boys as well as mountains and
does not make the mistake of
writing down to them, as
many other novelists of adult
fiction have done.
king S0lOmOn's Navy" Is
an adventure tale which in
cludes mutiny and shipwreck,
kidnapers and slave traders,
copper mines and gold. All
this rich background, in King
Solomon's time, is the world
into which the simple shepherd
boy Jared plunges, when he
sets out to seek Just one gold
piece in Jerusalem. Instead of
a few days in the big city,
Jared spends three years as a
slave in King Solomon's Navy.
Before she wrote. "King
Solomon's Navy" (Harpers,
$3.50 Nora BENJAMIN Kubie,
author Of other sailing stories,
followed the route of the galley
ships around Africa. She
studied old maps and sailors
records until she could visualize
the experience Of o small ship
In those stormy seas. She
says, After Q while, that
voyage was as real to me as
II I'd taken 1t with Jared"
lndion HaYo Tnla
Runner In the Sum-" By
darcy McNickle winston,
$1.7O, u an all-Indian pro-
duction, written and illustrated
by full-blooded Indians who
are proud Of their heritage.
1t Ii . distinguished book in
the Land Of the Free" series,
edited by Erick Berry, whose
works strike q high average
for creative imagination and
scholarly research.
There Is mystery and re-
venge a. well as courage and
loyalty in this Indian hero
tale. reaching back into the
days Of the cliff jewellers. How
young salt struggles to ave