[15] Nip and Flip. By Jack Goring.  Illustrated by Caterina
 Patricchio. 1s. net (postage 11/2d.).  C.W.  Daniel, Ltd., 3 Tudor Street,
 London, E.C.

 And there follows a picture (in black and gold) of this strange
 monster, just to make sure that no one will suppose they were out
 after a vegetable.

 The tale moves along, as such stories should, very rapidly.  Thus—­

    “And when they came to the end of the world,
     Their dear little handkerchief sail they furled
     And put on the kettle for tea.”

 But you have only just time to look at the tea things when—­

    “But alas! and alack
     About six o’clock
     The good ship strack
     On the Almond Rock
     And split like a little split pea.”

 So the story goes on, through divers adventures,

    “From Timbuctoo to Timbucthree”

 and so at last home again.

The next voyage is to the land of Make-Believe on a Christmas Eve, “in a long, long train of thought.”  In the course of this tale we are given a little picture of Flip herself, and here it is for you to look at.  Only, in the book her shoes and stockings, the inside of her skirt, and the squiggly things on the top of her head are a bright golden colour.

 [Illustration]

 The third voyage is all the fault of a toy monkey—­“six
 three-farthings and cheap at the price”—­and takes them among whales,
 mermaids, sea-serpents and other deep-sea creatures.

Here, then, are delightful little pictures on every page, which even a two-year-old will enjoy.  And here are verses which most boys and girls under seven or eight will like to learn.  And the best of it is that it doesn’t matter a bit if they do “sing-song” them, for they are the kind of verses which only sound right from the lips of quite small children who have never been taught elocution.

 EDGAR J. SAXON

 PICKLED PEPPERCORNS.

     SOUP.—­Oxtail from 10 A.M.—­From a Restaurant Menu.

 What it was in the early morning it would be indiscreet to inquire.

* * * * *

I learn that a serum for mumps is now being made at the Pasteur Institute.  “A number of monkeys were inoculated with the serum,” says The Times (30th July), “and a mild form of the disease was produced.”  It is an age of scientific progress, so we may expect news shortly of sera for toothache, hiccough, and the hump.  It will not be necessary to inoculate camels for the last.

* * * * *

     You will say—­with Mr Arnold Bennett, the distinguished
     playwright and novelist—­“the tonic effect of ********* on me is
     simply wonderful.”—­From an advt. in Punch.

 You may join in the chorus if you like, but you mustn’t all expect to
 be simply wonderful playwrights and testimonialists.