Keeping all the children (and most parents) happy

CHOOSING presents is one of the hazards of Christmas, and usually takes up far more time and energy than most of us have available. Selecting gifts for young children can be particularly difficult if you have no regular contact with this age group.
Many an uncle. aunt or godparent feels like rushing headlong out of toyshops when faced with such abstruse calculations as suitability for the age group, desirability from the child's viewpoint and—last but by no means least--desirability from the standpoint of the child's parents. Some years ago I presented a small nephew with a set of shapes and some modelling clay. Dutifully thanking me the next time we met. he added with disconcerting frankness : "But we put it in the dustbin, 'cause mummy said it made an 'agusting mess!" Since that day I have resorted. when in any doubt. to books. And I am happy to report there has never been a better selection of really attractive, entertaining and—if you feel it matters at Christmas— educational books on the market for young children. Here are a few ideas.
For anyone up to about eight years old Michael Flanders has written an enchanting bible story. Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo. Younger children will love having it read to them. Not only is it all in rhyme. but the illustrations by Harold King are absolutely super and each page is most carefully planned. It is the sort of book to read and read again, and if you get tired of reading it to them you can always pick out the happy little theme song on the piano with one finger.
From Canada, and now published in this country. comes the magnificent Provensen Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo by Michael Flanders (Collins £1,25) Provensen Book of Fairy Tales (Collins £2.50) A Child's Garden of Verses illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa (Collins £1.25) Funniest Storybook Ever by Richard Scarry (Collins £1.25) The Mule of Avignon by Alphonse Daudet, adapted by John Lawrence (Hamish Hamilton £1.40)
Robin's Real Engine William Mayne (Hamish Hamilton 40p)
Book of Fairy Tales. Perhaps the price seems a lot, but you could always give this one between a family of children, or to someone for whom you would be buying a very special gift.
The 12 fairy stories are a mixture of classic and modern. written or adapted by writers like Oscar Wilde. A. A. Milne. Howard Pyle, Seumas MacManus and Hans Christian Andersen. The full-colour illustrations are witty and charming.
Collins seem to specialise in super illustrations. and their new edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's old favourite A Child's Garden of Verses is greatly enhanced by artist Gyo Fujikawa. This book is a real bargain for any child up to the age of about 12.
Richard Scarry's Funniest Storybook Ever is another Collins offering, lavishly illustrated by the author, and alternating script with illustration in a way which very much appeals to children who are too young to read for themselves.
"Where are we now?" is a constant cry, and this method of breaking up the text means that the child can see for himself exactly where he is. The illustrations themselves, again in full colour. arc not to my mind quite up to the standard of those of the other books, but they are amusing, and children are not quite so critical as adults in these matters.
How the Pope's mule waited seven whole years for her revenge on the calculating and ambitious Tistet Vedene is retold in John Lawrence's adaptation of Alphonse Daudet's The Mule of Avignon. Law
rence's colourful pictures bring the amusing story vividly to life.
Finally, for a stocking-filler which might afford a few minutes' more glorious peace on Christmas morning, Robin's Real Engine is good value, as the hook is a hardback and well illustrated in two colours.
The print is large, so that the hook is suitable for children who have just learned the delight of reading for themselves. The story is just about the right length for reading at bedtime—a v:tal consideration. as anyone who has ever emharked on something which is just too long will he able to assure you. Maureen Vincent
Favourites for five-year-olds
Jack and the Beanstalk, The Frog Prince and Hansel and Crete' ("World c f Fairy Tales" series, Muller 30p each)
THESE are highly to be recommended. They are simply but effectively told versions of the familiar stories, on glossy cardboard pages with puppet-like illustrations in colour. Sure to he five-year-old favourites.
G.N.