THE SINGING SHOEMAKER

This story of Manolis, the Greek singing shoemaker and story teller, who left his shop and his village in search of new songs and stories, should convey to young readers something of the countryside of Greece and the villages where he stopped. There is needed authentic material on Greece today and Mrs. Alessios should be able to give it to us. But despite the attempt to convey a sense of the country and its people, she fails-for this reader anyhow. Manolis' pleasant wandering are only mildly interesting. The stories he tells as he goes lack the essential folk quality. And the music- including the Greek singing games- doesn't identify itself with the children for whom it is intended.