Books for Children: A Christmas List

Children’s books in vast numbers have been tumbling from the presses since midsummer—more than enough to befuddle even the most experienced holiday book shopper. The following selections are noteworthy because of lively presentation of particular subjects, quality of writing, and beautiful illustration and book design. We shall begin in chronological sequence with the picture books.

Threeto six-year-olds were enchanted last year by the ingenious “flap” books written and illustrated by a talented Italian artist. This year, three more stories, THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT, THE ELEPHANT’S WISH, and JIMMY HAS LOST HIS CAP, by BRUNO MUNARI (World), are equally charming. The brief tales, filled with wit and mild suspense, are augmented by a series of doors that, when opened, reveal surprise pictures, one superimposed upon the other in rich, bright color.

THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN LITTLE KIDS by the Brothers Grimm, with colored lithographs by Felix Hoffman (Harcourt, Brace), a story familiar to many generations of children, is handsomely printed and illustrated in this new edition.

THE CARELESS KANGAROO, written and illustrated by EARLE GOODENOW (Walck), tells of an absent-minded kangaroo who dreamily deposits a koala baby in her pouch, instead of her own child. In her frantic leaps and hops all over the continent of Australia seeking her baby, she encounters many strange birds and beasts. Hilarious pictures in color are in tune with the story.

HUBERT’S HAIR-RAISING ADVENTURE, written and illustrated by BILL PEET (Houghton, Mifflin), in humorous rhyme animated with cartoonlike pictures in four colors, tells what happened to Hubert, a lion inordinately proud of his flowing mane. His jungle friends become helplessly entangled in his dilemma as well.

LUCY MCLOCKET by PHYLLIS McGINLEY, with pictures in dainty pink and green by Helen Stone (Lippincott), is another story in verse — this tale particularly salutary for little girls who are forever losing things, including their mothers, when on shopping expeditions.

THE LITTLE ONE, story and photographs by DARE WRIGHT (Doubleday). Miss Wright, author of those endearing books The Lonely Doll and Holiday for Edith and the Bears, now writes and photographs the adventures of Persis, another doll, and her two bear companions. The action photographs of Persis with animals, birds, and butterflies will hold the interest of the most intractable child.

SCAREDY CAT by PHYLLIS KRASILOVSKY, pictures by Ninon (Macmillan). Timid children will enjoy listening to this encouraging story of how a kitten, frightened of everything, including his shadow, overcame his fears by boldly investigating objects and noises instead of hiding under the sofa.

BROWN COW FARM, written and illustrated by DAHLOV IPCAR (Doubleday), with its arresting pictures of various farm animals, will take the young child far beyond the ordinary counting books into the realm of simple multiplication, explaining a bit about the life of farm animals.

CIRCUS MAGIC, verses by SHARON BANIGAN, pictures by Katharina Maillard (Dutton), is a sturdily constructed book with pictures of circus favorites in eye-catching color. The text creates a visual image that enhances the picture impact.

THE TIGER HUNT, written and illustrated by MARY VILLAREJO (Knopf), takes a small boy on a safari with a real maharaja, where he meets jungle animals galore and bags a tiger in a surprising, harmless way.

PUPTENTS AND PEBBLES by WILLIAM JAY SMITH, illustrated by Juliet Kepes (Atlantic-Little, Brown). This unusual, nonsense A-B-C has words like “frog-boy,” “inkspot,” “volcano” to illustrate the twenty-six letters of the alphabet, with an appropriate verse for each word. Lively pictures in bright color complement each verse.

PITIDOE THE COLOR MAKER, story and pictures by GLEN DINES (Macmillan). Rainbow colors are expertly splashed on every page throughout this delightful book, even though Pitidoe, apprentice artist, muddies the landscape somewhat upon his first try.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!, written and illustrated by DR. SEUSS (Random House). Any child lucky enough to be flown to Katroo on Smorgasbord’s back will be reduced to a happy state of hypnosis by the skillful rhymes and Seussian pictures, in full color, of strange creatures, one of which is a Time Telling Fish. There’s a birthday cake, too, of amazing ingredients, and hot dogs that roll endlessly off a spool, plus a Mustard-Off pool for cleanup.

WHICH HORSE IS WILLIAM?, story and pictures by KARLA KUSKIN (Harper). A guessing story with beguiling pictures that supply the key to each question. An amusing bedtime game for the youngest ones.

FIERCE JOHN by EDWARD FENTON, illustrated by William Pène du Bois (Doubleday). John, after a visit to the zoo, decided he was a lion. He couldn’t convince his family of his metamorphosis until the artist supplied him with a tail, a mane, and sharp claws, which properly scared his family into hilarious retreat.

MADELINE AND THE GYPSIES, story in verse with appropriate pictures by LUDWIG BEMELMANS (Viking). The inimitable Madeline, who forever attracts trouble, this time gets marooned with her friend Pepito on the top of a Ferris wheel at the circus. Before she gets back to her schoolmates and the long-suffering Miss Clavel, she and Pepito have a riotous time with the gypsies who have been kind enough to rescue them from their lofty perch.

THE PORCUPINE KNOWN AS J.R. by RITA VANDIVERT, photographs by Will Vandivert (Dodd, Mead). When Susan found a baby porcupine and brought it home, her parents were at first horrified, but soon realized that the prickly creature was responsive, easy to handle (with the aid of leather gloves), and a delightful show-off. Excellent, full-page photographs of J.R. in action.

THE REASON FOR THE PELICAN by JOHN CIARDI, illustrated by Madeleine Gekière (Lippincott). In his first book for children, this gifted poet writes on a variety of subjects - animals, birds, and the elements. This slim volume of light nonsense verse, flawlessly executed, makes a worthy shelf companion for Lewis Carroll and W. S. Gilbert.

THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY UMBRELLA by DAVID DEJONG, illustrated by Harvey Weiss (Atlantic-Little, Brown). David took his derelict yellow umbrella with him when he went to meet Grandmother, who was arriving for his birthday party. On the way, wondrous additions, including purple fringe, a flamingo handle, and tiny windows — birthday gifts from his friends — made the umbrella unusual indeed. Grandmother’s present added the perfect musical touch.

THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT, retold by LILLIAN QUIGLEY, illustrated by Janice Holland (Scribner’s). This thought-provoking fable, simply written for beginners, tells of the wise Rajah who, by his logic, quelled the arguments of six blind men, each of whom had a different idea of what an elephant was like by having touched a single part of the great beast. Striking pictures in four colors.

FATHER BEAR COMES HOME by ELSE HOLMELUND MINARIK, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper). Little Bear and his mother, who have carried on so long alone, welcome Father Bear when he returns from an extended fishing trip. Short, easy sentences for beginning readers.

OTTO IN TEXAS, story and pictures by WILLIAM PÈNE DU BOIS (Viking). Sam Hill, a Texas millionaire, graciously invited Duke and his giant dog, Otto, to visit him, even though Duke had turned down his milliondollar offer to buy the world-famous dog. While the big dog is in Texas, he unearths a rare dinosaur but, more important, exposes three oil rustlers masquerading as gentle grandmothers.

THE BIG FISH by BARBARA GREEN - OUGH JOHNSON, pictures by Mary Greenough Means (Little, Brown). Pierre, the only boy in a family of six sisters who live in the woods of Northern Quebec, awaited the day when he could go fishing with his father. When the great day arrived, catching a small fish was just a part of the exciting experiences the river and the woods provided. A stimulating story for junior woodsmen.

THE THREE HAPPY LIONS by LOUISE FATIO, pictures by Roger Duvoisin (Whittlesey House). François becomes a problem lion when he proves too awkward for a lady’s pet and, again, when he fails to be ferocious enough for a circus act. He makes everyone happy, though, when his vocation turns out to be gardening in the park.

THE SEAL THAT COULDN’T SWIM by ALEXIS LADAS, illustrated by Marc Simont (Little, Brown). This true story about a rare baby seal, rescued by a young Greek lieutenant during the last days of World War II, tells how the helpless creature had to be protected from its own foolishness as well as from the superstitious anger of Greek fishermen. An exceptional tale, affectionately told, which children from seven to ten will enjoy.

For this same age group, VOYAGE OF THE SEA WIND by HETTY BURLINGAME BEATTY (Houghton Mifflin) is a salty adventure tale in which small Sandy accompanies his father to Bermuda in a three-masted cargo schooner. In Bermuda, Sandy meets Willie, a little Negro boy who proves to be a helpful friend in several ways, and, when the schooner returns to Boston, Willie goes along for a visit. This story, with its lovely water colors of Bermuda and the sea, is sure to be a favorite.

THE TWO UNCLES OF PABLO by HARRY BEHN, illustrated by Mel Silverman (Harcourt, Brace). Pablo listened respectfully to the advice of his two uncles, the one a lovable braggart, the other an unworldly poet, and then decided, by weighing and balancing, which course to pursue. The author constructs a perceptive narrative, keeping in mind the Mexican temperament and the gentle ebb and flow of Mexican village life.

ESMERALDA AHOY! by ELISABETH FAIRHOLME and PAMELA POWELL, illustrated by Peter Spier (Doubleday). An adventure story spiced with mystery and danger in which four English children spend money given them for rail fare to purchase a river boat instead, and off they go down the Thames.

THE MAGIC CHALK by ZINKEN HOPP, illustrated by Malvin Neset (David McKay). When John found a piece of chalk dropped from a witch’s pocket and drew a boy who came to life, that was the beginning of hordes of people and animals that he was able to create. Irresistible fantasy that has won the approval of children in other countries.

MARTINS’ DINOSAUR by REDA DAVIS, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin (Crowell). An American boy traveling in Wales with his parents encounters a monster in an old Welsh castle, which may have been a dinosaur or a dragon. Whichever it was, the conversation is extremely funny, and the boy and the creature have a gay adventure.

DRUMMER BOY FOR MONTCALM by WILMA PITCHFORD HAYS, illustrated by Alan Moyler (Viking). Readers from ten to fourteen will learn a lot about the famous battle on the Plains of Abraham and how a brave French boy fought for his country.

STONEWALL JACKSON by JONATHAN DANIELS (Random House). A successful biography, in the Landmark series, of the courageous Confederate general who was accidentally shot by his own men.

RANJIT OF THE CIRCUS RING, by ANNE FREELING (Roy), centers about a twelve-year-old chimpanzee trainer but manages to include a great deal of fascinating information about other circus performers and the wild animals who live most of their lives in the confines of a circus tent.

Legacy Books, a new series published by Random House this fall, deal with Greek, Roman, Norse, and German folk tales that have influenced Western culture. THE VOYAGE OF ULYSSES by CLIFTON FADIMAN, illustrated by William Huchinson, harks back to that timeless adventure, covering the disasters and triumphs of the wanderer with skillful deletion of unnecessary verbiage. THE SWORD OF SIEGFRIED by KATHARINE SCHERMAN, illustrated by Douglas Gorsline, another standout in the new series, properly prepares the young reader by first exploring the Wagnerian Ring Cycle before telling the classic saga of Siegfried.

High school students with an eye to a career in science will find MATHEMATICS AND THE PHYSICAL WORLD by MORRIS KLINE (Crowell) stimulating reading. The author has replaced the usual monotony and dryness associated with mathematics with infectious enthusiasm and wit as he shows its relation to nature and science, from the discovery of numbers to the latest developments in calculus.

MEET THE CONGO by JOHN GUNTHER, illustrations by Grisha (Harper). This is an informative report and summary of what is happening to the land and the people of the Belgian Congo and French Equatorial Africa.

JOURNEY FOR JEMIMA by GWENDOLYN BOWERS (Walck). High school girls will revel in this fresh, romantic novel set in the United States and Canada during colonial times. Kidnaping, intrigue, and ultimate rescue keep the story moving.

ASHES OF EMPIRE, by MARGUERITE VANCE (Dutton), tells the tragic story of Maximilian and Carlota, the royal European couple who came hopefully and innocently to Mexico to reign over that turbulent country and became martyrs of treachery. Appealingly written, with an excellent historical background.

I MARY by RUTH PAINTER RANDALL, illustrated with photographs (Little, Brown). A moving biography of Mary Todd Lincoln, which clears up many distorted facts about this ambitious Southern belle and stresses her love of husband and family.

THE ST. LAWRENCE by WILLIAM TOYE (Walck). From the sixteenth century to the present, the St. Lawrence has played a leading role in American history. The author tells of the conflicts that involved Americans, French, and British and how, now, for the first time, the river is an important connecting link with the world. Diagrams, photographs, index, and bibliography. Intensely interesting.

ONION JOHN by JOSEPH KRUMGOLD, illustrated by Symeon Shimin (Crowell). Andy, a preadolescent boy, tells in touching, humorous detail of his admiration and belief in a lovable old addlepate who lives in happy poverty in the city dump. Woven into his tale is the conflict at home, particularly with his father, who tries unsuccessfully to impose his own unfulfilled dreams upon Andy.

AMERICA IS BORN by GERALD W. JOHNSON, woodcuts by Leonard Everett Fisher (Morrow). The clear dramatic language in this book takes the three hundred years of our history out of the dull, dry category and into a meaningful, exciting panorama of events that will evoke gratifying response in any child over twelve.

EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR, story and pictures by PHYLLIS ROWAND (Little, Brown). In a Christmas story stressing the importance of family love, the author of the popular George books tells the results of a small girl’s picture letter to Santa Claus. Different interpretations of the letter make Christmas morning a bountiful surprise for everyone. Pastel drawings with true Christmas sparkle.

NINE DAYS TO CHRISTMAS by MARIE HALL ETS and AURORA LABASTIDA, illustrated by Marie Hall Ets (Viking). The youngest child will be completely transported by this lovely story of Mexican Christmas parties, as preparations for Ceci’s first one unfold with a visit to the market, then dressing in costume for the party that turned out to have a special magic of its own. Detailed pictures in gay Mexican color.

THE CHRISTMAS MOUSE by ELISABETH WENNTNG, drawings by Barbara Remington (Holt). Over two hundred years ago, Silent Night was sung for the first time in St. Nicholas Church in Austria. This re-creation of the lovely village, the church, the congregation, and particularly the small mouse whose nibbling changed the musical course of a memorable evening, has great charm, with pictures to match.

THE NUTCRACKER by DANIEL WALDEN, pictures by Harold Berson (Lippincott). An interpretation of the famous ballet, with fairylike drawings in soft color of mice, toys, and children decorating each page of text.

Two handsome books of Bible stories are out in time for Christmas giving. The first, STORIES FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT, retold by Piet Worm (Sheed and Ward), is the third volume to come from this talented artist. Printed in Holland in lovely color with gold illumination, this is a collector’s item.

The second book, aimed at more advanced readers, BIBLE READINGS, illustrated by Lynd Ward (Nelson), has selections in Biblical language taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Color and black-and-white.

THE LITTLE SILVER HOUSE by JENNIE D. LINDQUIST, pictures by Garth Williams (Harper). This pleasant story of Swedish family life, with a shining thread of mystery running through it, tells a great deal about Christmas customs and traditions of the north country. Fine, readable type.