Children's Annuals

No present is more welcome to boy or girl than a book, and when the book takes the form of a Christmas Annual, the amusement to hederived from it is multiplied exceedingly. In most of these we have serial stories, plays, riddles, puzzles, competitions„ poems, as well as informative articles. There is something for everybody. The only criticism that might be made is that some publishers, owing to a laudable desire to, give as. much as 'possible for the price, have adopted too small print ; the majority, however, have been content with a larger type and a lesser amount of material.

The Boy's Annuals are specially attractive, combining thrilling stories of adventure with-all sorts-of eiseful knowledge articles. Some of them, naturally, specialize fer'SCOias,-and as the promoters of that excellent movement' are_out for teaching boys to use their, brains as well as their fingers, We naturally find information as well as armiserrient.,irr their magazines. To know details of aeroplane constiiietion or what difficulties are encountered by engineers whileburrowing under London during the extension of the -Uadergtoimd. rail- way is good reading for a boy with a taste for mechanics.

In this connexion we have the Scout Annual (C. Arthur Pearson, 5s.), a tremendous tome, packed with good things, and the Oxford Annual for Scouts (edited by Herbert Strang, and issued by the University Press, 3s. fld.), which contains stories

and articles by well-known writers and a' play for scouts. In

Nelson's Annual (6s.) thrills meet us on the jacket, on which a coloured picture of a man on horseback leaping from a cliff into space is represented. Blackie's Christmas Annual (5s.) keeps up its usual attractions and the Boy's Own Annual (Boy's Own Paper Office. 12s. 6d.) reaches its forty-ninth volume, a tribute to its popularity. The Amalgamated Press is publishing many Christmas Annuals, amongst which we may mention Chums (12s. 6d.), a large volume profusely illustrated, the British Boy's Annual (5s.), and the Hobby Annual (6s.). This last is a magazine on new lines, having for its object to teach boys, and girls too for the matter of that, how to work out their hobbies scientifi- cally.

Proud Sir Pim (Basil Blackwood, 3s. 6d.) is a small volume of amusing verse, illustrated by the author, Hugh Chesterman, with some of his distinctive pen-and-ink drawings. It will appeal to older or grown-up boys and girls.

The Annuals devoted to girls seem to be mainly concerned with school life. Like boy's books, they have their stories of adventure and an increasing amount of space is given up to

sport, but the stories chiefly centre round school life. The popular Girl's Own Annual (Woman's Magazine, 12s. 6d.) issues its forty-eighth volume, Blackie's Girl's Annual (Ss.), and Blackie's Children's Annual (5s.) maintain their usual high level, and our old friend, Chatterbox (Wells Gardner, Darton,

5s.) may indeed be called a " hardy annual," for it appeared when children had very few publications to call their own, and is still well to the fore.

The Oxford University Press publishes the most attractive of the annuals ; they are well produced, well illustrated, and number many distinguished authors among their contributors.

There is the Oxford Annual for Girls and the Oxford Annual for Children (5s. each). The School Friend Annual (Amalgamated Press, 6s.) is another annual that can be recommended. The First Trail (Blackwell, 5s.), a delightful book for Girl Guides, with a portrait of Princess Mary in uniform as a frontispiece,

and a foreword by Her Royal Highness, is a book that will

appeal to all girl guides. Famous authors contribute to it. The children's annuals specialize as to age, which is a help to those choosing presents. Cassell's Children's Annual (5s.) is for children up to ten years old ; The Play Box (Amal- gamated Press, 6s.) from five to ten ; other annuals issued by the same House are the Playtime Annual (6s.), for children from six years old to twelve, and Puck (6s.), which claims to amuse children of all ages. Chicks (3s. 6d.), amusingly illus- trated, is designed to teach reading without tears, and Tiny Tots (2s. 6d.) is another annual for the babes, as is Tiger Tim's Annual (6s.) ; another book with jolly stories for small people is the Wonder Book (Ward, Lock and Co., 6s.). Number Five Joy Street (Basil Blackwell, Oxford, Gs.), with its delightful illustrations, will be welcomed by those who remember its predecessors. Among the famous authors who contribute are Lord Dunsany and Algernon Blackwood, who take us into the land of fantasy. It is certainly a relief to get away from the prose of grown-up politics to the land of childish imaginings. Here is a little poem from the Oxford Annual for Children which might have been written by one of them.

SEA WISHES.

" Some day when I go down to the sea, I hope to find a mermaid there, Combing her golden shining hair, And I hope she'll talk to me- Some day.

Or perhaps in my little green shrimping ne4 I'll catch a real sea baby one day.

I wonder whatever my Nannie would say If I brought one home all shining and wet ? And you know I really may

Some day."

BEATRICE ERSKINE.