THE TURFCUTTERS' DONKEY

Fantasy with elements of fact interwoven, in a story of Ireland, of Aileen and Shamas and how they found the tinkers' donkey, and of how the donkey proved to be a guide to magic, to leprechauns and to a recreation of certain episodes in Ireland's ancient history. It is charmingly done, with a faint suggestion of Puck of Pook's Hill. Fantasy is not easy to sell, but the factual element may prove a good sales point. The material is a bit out of the usual line, as Irish history is rarely available for children.