THE FORBIDDEN FOREST

**Of the three books reviewed in this section, all about children in Japan today, this is certainly the best in spite of the fact that it does not mention the effects of the recent war on them or their neighbors. It is just a plain, good story of adventure and mystery and perhaps that is why it is best to serve as an introduction for American children to the children of a country such a short time ago an enemy. It does not try to enlist sympathy on their behalf, or to tell of the struggles in ideology now taking place there, its sole purpose is to present the adventures of two children in a way that will really interest children here. The companion-photographs, by John Dominis, have a lovely quality and follow the children into a forbidden forest, show how they solve a family mystery and foil a villain.