Rocking Horse Land and Other Classic Tales of Dolls and Toys

The jacket of this compendium very clearly signals its contents: an open doorway, framed by two book spines and flanked by toy soldiers on horseback, shows a boy and girl stepping into what is clearly a land of imagination and magic. In her introduction Lewis remarks on the magical nature of the link between a child and a doll (or toy), a link which she implies mirrors the realities of life for children and adults. Each of the five stories is accompanied by a brief introduction setting it in context. They range from Mrs Fairstar's 'Memoirs of a London Doll' to tales from Andersen and Baba Yaga to E. Nesbit's 'The Town in the Library' and also include stories by Ruth Ainsworth and Laurence Housman. Barrett, though shortlisted for the Maschler and Greenaway Awards on occasion, is an underestimated illustrator. While this is not exactly a picture book, the generous quantity of illustrations and their disposition on the pages show her talents to full effect. She accompanies each of Lewis's introductory pages with a silhouette which captures the essence of the story which follows. For most of the other illustrations her palette is muted, capturing a spirit of mystery and makebelieve with a tonal effect. The detailing is very fine whether it is in the toys in the tin soldier's nursery, the dolls' house on the contents page or in the 'library' town. This is a book with a strong appeal to the nostalgic, but that should not deter teachers and librarians who want to stock books in their classrooms and libraries with very high production values as well as content.