SWINGS AND THINGS

The book is a collection of poems and short stories. In construction they are appealing--there is a consistent sense of rhythm which is quite pleasant to the ear, the subjects all deal with the familiar objects and occurrences that are of interest to children--but they all add up to a big ""why bother."" There is no use of imagery in the descriptions, no presentation of ideas, no place to give vent to the imagination. The one selection which is neither insipid nor sirupy in its initial conception deals with a man who gives donkey rides but is out of work because of heavy rains, who is ill, and whose house has been partially destroyed, but who is described here in the cutest possible terms.