Borrowed Children: A Popular Account of Some Evacuation Problems and their Remedies: By Mrs. St. Loe Strachey. (John Murray, London, 1940. Pp. xiv + 134. Price, 2 s. 6 d.

This is an excellent little book. It describes the experiences of children who were transported from London and the large industrial centres to country towns and villages in September of last year. Mrs. Strachey writes clearly and vividly, presenting the problems she deals with always in terms of concrete happenings, very often in the words of the children themselves. She illustrates the successes and failures of the borrowed children in their temporary homes, and shows both the wisdom and the folly of the hostesses in their dealings with the children. Discussing the psychological problems of children who have shown serious difficulties, and caused bewildered hostesses so much trouble of one sort or another, she brings out the fact that those 'evacuees' were not made difficult by evacuation, but had already been ill or unhappy in their own homes at ordinary times. She then describes the valuable help which Child Guidance Clinics can render to such children. Finally she discusses the various ways in which the conditions of life for borrowed children could be improved and lasting benefits for their health and education be ensured from their experiences.