THE LEFTOVER ELF

On a quest for a Believer -- so that he can survive, an Irish Elf and his not too wise plan journey slowly and pleasantly from the forest to the sea. In a fragrant kitchen, the Elf finally finds a Believer when he sets a stumbling trap for a visitor, mistakenly thought a thief -- a trap that works and thus proves that the kitchen inhabitants think about spirits. But what, say the Elf and the Plan, happens then? All you can do about Believers, once found, is to be grateful for them. So it's back to the forest home and friends. In its sentimentality, this is a not too successful departure from Mary Stolz' previous young adult level, but the homey philosophy and Peggy Bacon's catching, shadedpencil drawings make it nice and Irish and woodsy.