A BOY NAMED JOHN

The text of this is so good that one regrets the gloomy impression the Woodi Ishmael illustrations give the book. It is the slightly fictionized autobiography of John Cournos, from the days of his coming from Russia and a home remote from civilization, to his initiation as an editor -- a very junior editor -- on a newspaper. Revealing picture of the problems immigrant children face, with an unknown language, new school, new clothes, even new names. A family story, with ""John"" as central figure, and his adventures as newsboy, school boy, ""the man"" of the family for a time.