It is, indeed, a pleasure to wish Godspeed to this volume, 'Smiling Flowers', by a writer who has made 'children's literature' his own elected field and cultivated it with love, dedication, and perseverance over a period of several decades. May, Valliappa, magician - laureate, thrive evermore, enabling children to read and enjoy his songs morn and eve every day And R. P. Sethu Pillai, in his Foreword, lauded Valliappa for his uncanny evocation of the values and verities in apt and mellifluous everyday language. Introducing the Second series in 1961, Mu. Varadarajanar made particular reference to the story- poems and the humorous verse, for these too insinuate their lessons in human deportment. The child's 'intimations of immortality' and clairvoyant gifts add up sometimes to the kind of illumination that is the settled wisdom of saints like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and what is important in children's songs is the use of everyday langauge to serve as the 'Open Sesame' leading the child to explore on his own the interior countries of the Spirit. Aids like assonance, alliteration, initial and terminal rhyme, bold metaphor, suggestive imagery, repetition and refrain, all can come handy, but the secret of secrets is the power of the song to reach the deeper listening of the child's soul. A fair example is the title-piece, 'Smiling Flowers': Flowers with colors manifold, and varied fragrances; they give me their smiles, my dear sweet flowers. Sapphire, green, red, and other hues as well; I come at daybreak and feel enchanted by their sight. Nodding and swinging flowers, I draw near to pluck them and fill my basket- and the flowers smile May I hope that each 'smiling flower' in this latest garner from Tiru Al. Valliappa's Garden of Poesy will help the children of Tamil Nadu and India in their adventure of aspiration, awakening and steady progress in self-growth and self-realization. And my best wishes to the children's laureate: More power and Grace to his elbow Like the two earlier volumes, the latest-SIRIKKUM POOKKAL-is also structured with 5 sections of children's verse, and a section each of story-poems and humorous verse. The highest values, the sublimest verities, achieve recordation in the simplest possible 'living language of the tribe'. Yes, this our right hand, these two hands, are God's gifts of Grace-but to what end? What's this God-given hand for? For gathering food and eating it. What's this God-given hand for? For bathing and keeping the body clean. What's this God-given hand for? For wearing clothes with elegance. What's this God-given hand for? For writing fair and for reading. What's this God-given hand for? For hand-labour day after day. What's this God-given hand for? For rendering service to others. What's this God-given hand for? For the ardent worship of the Lord. These seven hills of ascent, from the material to the spiritual, from ANNAMAYA to ANANDA MAYA, comprehend the whole philosophy of useful and wise living, and the child learns it with a lilt and no trace of tears. Here is another piece, now on 'national integration'; Crores and crores are my kith and kin; they live between Himavant and Kumari. Their twin eyes are Rights and Duties; their hand-labors uplift the land. They speak several languages, but live in amity together. That the land may win largesse and fame, they plan and execute good works.