THE ELEPHANT'S CHILD

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?)