THE ELEPHANT, THE MOUSE AND THE FLEA

Never stay too long in one spot,"" Sim's mother Simolina had said, and at his urging the three friends set out on their travels, stacked like a pyramid (Sim on Suzy on Sansom). They pass over the desert, pause at the edge of the sea--but where is Sim? Investigating a strange object, Samson and Suzy are suddenly borne aloft--the object is an umbrella--to alight at last in a land Of ice and snow where two Eskimo children rescue the stricken Samson and take him to their igloo. Their well-read father (""at least a hundred books""), realizing the elephant's plight, immediately produces a big red balloon and some strong cord; Sim is found (he had fallen asleep in Samson's ear) and the three take off. Once home, they are welcomed by their friends (Samson to the water hole, Suzy to a fresh harvest) and Sim wonders--could any other spot be as good as this? A passing leopard provides another chance and Sim is off and away on its back--""Of course Simolina was right."" If Sim were more characteristically a flea, this blend of concrete, very accidental improbability and bemused whimsy would make its point more surely; as it is, the diverse elements don't quite coalesce except in the very appealing illustrations.