Borrowed Children.: A Popular Account of some Evacuation Problems and their Remedies
- Author:
Mrs. St. Loe Strachey, O.B.E., J.P. Introduction by Amabel
Williams-Ellis. John Murray. Cloth, 2s. 6d.; Paper, Is. 6d.
From a ” popular account ” one expects, amongst other things, human touches and anecdotes plus a dash of practical advice. This little book gives more. In parts it is intimate; it is rich in vivid illustrations of the ups and downs in the lives of evacuated children collected, in the main, from case records of trained workers, and?in the matter of advice?there is, in addition to a wholesome absence of precept and admonition, a light but definite treatment of first principles in regard to child nurture. The book is in two parts, the first mainly descriptive of evacuation and the problems it revealed or intensified?the second, frankly facing failures and perplexities and gathering pointers from many sources that should show the way not only to the most profitable methods for coping with evacuation difficulties, but also to a more enlightened approach to problem behaviour in children. In addition, there is an appendix containing some details of actual surveys and reports from reception areas. The ” hostesses ” who read this book will find reassuring evidence of the widespread existence of problems with which they themselves are wrestling, together with comments and opinions of specialists in child study and educa- tion. They will enjoy, too, the bird’s-eye view which is given of the whole question of evacua- tion, not of billeting alone, with particular reference to the future.
The book is not written for trained Child Guidance workers, but those who do read it will be encouraged by the clarity with which it demonstrates that war and peacetime problems occurring amongst children are similar in their nature, and also with the evidence it contains of the impetus to Child Guidance work provided by evacuation. G.R.
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