The Elephant's Child

In an adaptation of a Rudyard Kipling tale, the Elephant Child allows his unbounded curiosity to lead him to the banks of the Limpopo River, where he engages in a struggle with a crocodile.

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- In a process just the reverse of the story's nose-lengthening, there has been a tale-shortening here, to make this ``Just So'' account accessible to young listeners. Remarkably, even though the omissions include the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, the adaptation does not destroy the atmosphere or seriously damage Kipling's inimitable style. The Elephant's Child is as irrepressible as ever, and his triumph is still glorious, although not quite so vengeful. Poster paint illustrations are fresh and bold, with broad, textured strokes, and black lines clarifying figures' expressions. Bolam's deft combination of strong design and naive style serves the story--and young viewers--well. Unusual choices of color (blue trees, orange tusks, slate-green skin) complement the blend of the childlike and the sophisticated in Kipling's enduring creation. --Patricia Dooley, Univ . of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Curiosity stops just short of being deadly in this adaptation of the Kipling classic. "In the High and Far-Off Times" when elephants sported short, "bulgy" noses, a young pachyderm full of "satiable curiosity" sets off to discover what crocodiles eat for dinner. After a rousing tug-of-war with the Crocodile himself, the Elephant's Child walks away with a new and improved (and quite sore) elongated trunk. Bolam's well-paced version of the tale is sure to perk up the ears of inquisitive listeners. Unfortunately, the text's understated action and gentle humor are overshadowed by random violence--the other animals spank the Elephant's Child whenever he asks a question, and the Elephant Child's new trunk is eventually used to spank them back. Bolam's bright, primitive paintings boldly contrast with airy white backgrounds, and the jungle animals' childlike facial expressions are particularly engaging. Ultimately, though, Kipling's writings remain too sophisticated for the picture book set. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

No, no, and, again, no! Bolam's abridgements are pointless; her changes are foolish vandalism. Her shortened version is no easier than Kipling's ``best beloved'' classic; she omits the ostrich and--outrageously--the bicolored python rock snake, as well as the Elephant's Child's delightful itinerary and most of the richly deserved spankings he finally administers to his aunts and uncles; what's left is not so much less challenging as less fun in the absence of the whole. Worse, and quite gratuitously, the baboon uncle has become a lion. Kipling's story is not a folk tale; it's a masterpiece whose glory is its language, and children as young as four have enjoyed it for almost a century. There is no excuse for tampering with it. (Incidentally, this is Bolam's debut, and she looks like a promising illustrator: vigorous bold line and vibrant, sophisticated colors in collage- like blocks.) (Picture book. Not recommended for any age--it's not all right, Best Beloved. Do you see?) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.