Story books with pictures, or picture books with stories?; The Voyage of the Jolly Boat, written and illustrated by Margret Rettich. English version by Olive Jones. New York: Methuen. $9.95. (Ages 4-8).

On October 21, 1686, a jolly boat, or dinghy, with three children aboard was lost in a great storn off the island of Norderney in the North Sea. No one expected to see the children again, but this exciting adventure retells the true story of how Jan and Annette Jansen and their friend Will rode out the storm and then set about taking the jolly boat back home.

Because the wind was against them at sea, they went overland, first with a wagon, and when that broke down, they rolled the boat along the road on round wooden staves. Sometimes they scrounged food from the fields and slept under the boat, at other times people befriended them and helped them on their way. Young readers will appreciate the children's ingenuity.

The book was originally published in Germay, and the English version is by Olive Jones. Watercolor illustrations are bright and give good details of life in Holland many years ago.