SUNDIATA

The dramatic story of a Malinke prince who overcame infirmity (as a child, he was lame and unable to speak), ridicule, palace intrigue, and a seven-year exile to become the savior of his people when Mali was attacked by a neighboring kingdom. Sundiata's victories ushered in a golden age of power and prosperity in 13th- century Mali. Retaining its elements of prophecy and magic, this version is ``distilled'' from an English translation of the epic as told by a griot descended from Sundiata's clan. Wisniewski's intricate cut-paper illustrations have evolved since The Warrior and the Wise Man (1989), acquiring ever greater depth, detail of facial expression and figure modeling, and complexity in their vibrant color schemes. (Less successfully, the text here is set in blocks headed by decorative friezes, superimposing a jarring white rectangle on the blazing color.) A note fills in historical details, explains the griot tradition, and describes the research informing the art. A splendid resource; a fascinating meld of biography and legend. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 7-11)