KLEEN

A Dutch nature book- the subject, the story of a gull, from the hatching of the egg to the start of the next generation. More or less routine stuff- the care of the baby birds, the learning to fly, to recognize enemies, to fend for himself, the of ringing and establishing friendly contact with man, food, storm, mishaps, mating, nest building, and starting a new family. The author injects himself now and again into the text, which is- for this reader- an irritant. His illustrations in line make an effective book, artistically speaking, but -- despite the simplicity of vocabularly and good type, the book lacks appeal for young readers.