December 1, 2003
Several favorites return in reissued editions. The New York Review Books is reissuing four children's book classics as part of its new Children's Collection. The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon, illus. by Edward Ardizzone, contains 27 heartwarming tales, first published in 1955. Many of the stories star standard fairy tale characters such as witches, fairies, princes and precocious young children, but they are also influenced by the urban, Christian and scientific aspects of early- to mid-20th-century life.
July 1, 2004
The stories in this immensely satisfying reprint defy categorization, mixing fact and fantasy, sense and nonsense. There's nothing cloying or sentimental about them, shot through as they are with wisdom and longing, taking unexpected plot twists just when you think you know where the story is headed. Ardizzone's illustrations elaborate on Farjeon's stories without overwhelming them.
(Copyright 2004 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)