My Elephant Can Do Almost Anything

A child regales readers with examples of his elephant's remarkable talents in this good-natured Dutch import. A star of ""Stupid Pet Tricks"" if ever there was one, this pachyderm can hang from the ceiling, see with X-ray vision and change the color of his skin to match his outfits. Best of all, he makes a wonderful friend. De Vries's (see Bruises, reviewed below) text bubbles with the pride, wonderment and exaggeration that make children's storytelling efforts so endearing. (""He has special night eyes. Even when it's pitch black he can see everything!"") Her portrayal of a warm, unconditional relationship speaks knowingly to a young audience. Walraven, too, tries to mime a child's style, with deeply hued elephants that often look more like anteaters and sometimes sport ears in the shape of human hands. Appearing throughout on black backgrounds, the paintings have great heft and presence, but they're not as limber as the droll text. Ages 2-6. (Apr.)