Gr 4-6-While better written than most abridged versions, these adaptations sacrifice character and theme development through simplified retellings of the basic plots or action. In Black Beauty, Church has reduced the original 49 chapters to 21 by combining the sequence and action into simpler accounts. Sasaki has reworked six of the Sherlock Holmes stories to maintain the mystery and solution minus Holmes's roundabout explanations of deduction. The books include lists of questions for discussion. The generously spaced, large-type format, interspersed with occasional black-and-white drawings, may serve as an introduction or "starter" as the series intends. However, waiting for the right read-aloud setting combined with discussion of the original is the best way to include the classics in any child's literary experience.-Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.