Tabu and the Dancing Elephants

Like a good oral storyteller, South African author Deetlefs interacts with her audience, drawing them into this African folktale with friendly ``you know''s and ``tell me now''s. Where she disappoints, though, is in the denouement. Baby Tabu lives with hard-working Mama Tandi and lazy Papa Temba at the edge of a forest. One day, while Temba snoozes, an elephant ``rescues'' the neglected Tabu, taking him to her herd. After Tandi finds him, she must play the marimba all night long before the dance-mad pachyderms will relinquish her child. What works best are Gilbert's lush, cool-toned paintings. Her forest is benign, the elephants comic and mischievous. The story itself, however, peters out rather than concludes: Temba is still lazy and he doesn't believe Tandi's dancing-elephant story. Deetlefs nevertheless provides a rousing closing line: ``But you'd better believe it... for it is as true as a rabbit in the moon rising over Africa.'' Ages 4-8. (Feb.)