THE LAZY LITTLE ZULU

Though Chaka is accused of laziness, the little Zulu boy proves his efficiency when his mother falls ill. Since M'bolo the witch doctor requires the payment of a shilling per visit, Chaka earns the money from an Englishman in exchange for tea seeds Chaka has been ingeniously storing. In the interests of rationality, it is not the witch doctor but the Englishman who cures mother -- not with dried buffalo bones, but with a special powder. Though Aliki's primitive drawings in bright color capture the African milieu, the plot is too confusing -- too unreal to make Chaka a memorable character.