JUST SO STORIES

With a text "". . .faithful to the original first edition. . .with the exception of one change made in the interest of current sensibilities,"" this new British-originated edition is illustrated by an Anglo-Egyptian in a style inspired by eastern art, especially Persian miniatures--a tribute to Kipling's eastern beginnings and the settings of some of the stories. The attractive result should appeal to older children or as a read-aloud (and these stories should be read aloud). The text's narrow margins are balanced by the highly decorative, many-bordered art, extending to page's edge. Each of the dozen stories is illustrated with a single luminous painting, usually of the most important characters. An exception is the one for ""How the Alphabet Was Made,"" which illustrates the letters mentioned in the text with a number key system, more cumbersome than the usual incorporation of Taffy's letters within the text and visually jarring in comparison to the delicate forms and colors on other pages. A satisfactory edition for home and library.