FOR THE PILLOW-CASE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 11, Issue 286, 15 December 1944, Page 18

FOR THE PILLOW-CASE

THE BOOK OF WIREMU. By Stella Morice. Illustrated by Nancy Bolton, Progressive Publishing Society. JUST US. By John Brent. Hiustrated by Stop Wrathal. The Rotorua "Morning Post." BAGGIE AND HIS FAMOUS CAT, TAM. By Alexandra Mason. Illustrated by Nancy Bolton, Progressive Publishing Society. TWELVE GRADED PLAYS FOR CHILDREN. By Joye Taylor. Illustrated by Elizabeth Paterson and Elizabeth Taylor. Whitcombe and Tombs, Ltd. THE LITTLE WHITE GATE, By Aileen Findlay and Rona Dyer. Progressive Publishing Society. T is clear that, for some reason, there are more people in New Zealand at present who have written books for children, or are convinced that they could write them, than any other type of author or would-be author. Is it because they believe that children and publishers are easily satisfied? Or that such books are the least difficult to write? Or are they perhaps conscious of a need for books specially written for New Zealand children; books in which the fairies, Nannies, castles and snowmen of the old world are replaced by cows, tuis, whares, picnics at the beach, and other features of the local scene? At any rate, here are five people who have not only written books for children in New Zealand, but have also managed to get them published (which is often the harder part). Each of these publications would look well in the pillow-case on Christmas morning, but if they were all there together, it would be a rather mixed bag. However, should any parent indulge his small son or daughter to that extent, there cannot be much doubt about which book will quickly be sorted out for first reading-provided, of course, that the child is discerning as well as fortunate, and has an eye for fine typography and illustration. * * * HE BOOK OF WIREMU is exceptional. It is a good story, a children’s book that is a children’s book, and a New Zealand book that is New Zealand. Would it be rash’ for a reviewer to suggest that here we have a New Zealand child’s classic? It tells of a small Maori boy, Wiremu, who lived in a whare with his Uncle Hori; of their peaceful day-to-day life, highlighted by planting kumera, catching a large trout (which a visiting sportsman buys for fishy evidence), and by riding off to collect flour and sugar (and bringing back instead lobster, yellow satin and pink-iced cake); also of young pakeha Antony, town-bred and spoilt, who plays with Wiremu, copies his games and his attitudes and becomes more aware, more spontaneous, and much more pleasant. Skipped through like that the story may seem slight, even moralising. Told by Stella Morice, it is neither of these things; her telling is subtle, humorous, amazingly vivid and yet as familiar as a cup of tea-she talks of the whare, weathered "silver grey as a pigeon," of a lake "lying like a slab of greenstone." But more, she can hold in a description the bright calm detail of a child's noticing and his intense physical sensation.

The book isn’t consciously "indigenous," patched with local colour, but as satisfyingly native to the place as manuka, and as good to look at. The artist, Nancy Bolton, by getting the feeling of the book so successfully, has shown herself an excellent illustratorsensitive and exact in detail without loss in design. Wiremu almost looks as though it may do the impossible. It should satisfy children between the ages of seven and 12 who like a good story; it should satisfy those who like good craftsmanship in prose and

book-production; it should satisfy even those who want realism and "social content." And it may do another useful job by giving the pakeha children some understanding of Maori life and a necessary knowledge of those Maori words which should be part of the ABC of language for every New Zealand child, * * * NONE of the other four books listed above is of the quality of Wiremu, but each is likely to have an appeal, even if it is only to the pocket of the purchaser. You will have to pay most for Just Us, but the price is not high by overseas standards, especially if you are one of those who believe that rain-bow-bright colouring, plenty of pictures, and big type are what appeal most to many young readers. And they probably do. This collection of verses and jingles on such varied topics as jam-making, the local war effort, white butterflies, gumboocts, rabbits, measles, and Marmite (a commodity which, being unprocurable, can be mentioned without incurring the displeasure of the advertising department) certainly makes a handsome volume, with cellophane wrapping to enhance its opulent appeal. To the New Education experts on children’s literature, the format and style of illustration, and perhaps the contents, may appear old-fashioned; but the Rotorua "Morning Post," to whom it must have represented a di departure, can justly feel proud of the production. * . + MORE likely to meet with the approval of the moderns is the tale of Baggie and His Famous Cat, Tam. The cover design is delightful, the title page invites one to read, and the line drawings by Nancy Bolton add to the pleasure of a distinguished little piece of printing. But one has the feeling that this is another of those stories for children intended to appeal as much to (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) adults. The language could not be described as simple, and a good many long words are used. And apart from the mention of Wellington and an earthquake, Baggie and Tam could just as easily be the products of England as of New Zealand. — * m "i HERE are six plays in Joye Taylor’s new collection, three of them designed for the seven-nine age group, three for children from nine-12. Together they comprise Parts Two and Three of the series of plays which Mrs. Taylor has written with such enthusiasm for the benefit of young New Zealanders. As such they should fill a need if teachers are looking for suitable easy material with a local flavour (some of them have already been produced in schools), but the casts are in most cases too big to permit of easy presentation in the home. Probably they are not intended for that, however. Mrs. Taylor has composed songs and choruses to accompany the action, has given detailed suggestions about costumes, and even includes "thought colours" to go with the music. The idea is that the players should concentrate on certain colours while sing- ing the songs; this, it is stated, will help them to understand the meaning better. It might be just as likely, however, to make them forget their lines. ae Ey * Y comparison, The Little White Gate is what is generally known as a "slim volume." It is in the same format, and by the same author and illustrator, as When I Grow Up, The Bad-Mannered Pigs, and Ten Little Chickens, and you can buy the whole quartet for 2/-. Apart

from the price and the fact that children seem to like them, a_ possible advantage to parents is that each story is so short that the whole book can be read aloud before bedtime without much risk of the dinner getting cold. CRIMES RE-TOLD TWENTY-FOUR NOTABLE TRIALS. By Richard Singer. Oswald’ Sealy (N.Z.) Ltd., Auckland. : OST of us have a morbid interest. in the crimes and misfortunes of | others. Psychologists can’ probably ex: plain it, but the fact is beyond doubt. Every newspaper knows it, and so, apparently, does Mr. Singer. His book of broadcast trials covers "several countries, many centuries and a great diversity of incidents." For that reason some of the cases seem strange and. remote to-day. Others like the Reichstag Fire Trial still have meaning. Ed Gibbon Wakefield gets only four pages, though Mr. Singer finds space to call him "the most intelligent, the most progressive and the most powerful of the colonisers of the British Empire...New Zealand’s greatest benefactor." But New Zealand readers will probably find the Mareo Case "the most interesting, and Mr. Singer believes that it is the first time it has been presented to the public in detail. All the others-bigamists, perjurers, conspirators, forgers and pirates -are packed into 130 pages (too packed for comfortable reading). On the air Mr, Singer’s literary style may not seem unusual, it certainly sounds novelettish in print. However, the facts are there-at twopenny farthing a case, 5