THE ROALD DAHL AUDIO COLLECTION Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Enormous Crocodile, and The Magic Finger

Roald Dahl's collection of stories for younger children includes classics like CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. There are also lesser-known tales like FANTASTIC MR. FOX, in which a loving papa fox outwits a farmer to feed his kits, and THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE, in which a greedy reptile hunts for a young child to eat. In each story the underdog characters triumph, and evil is punished in intriguing ways. For example, the girl in THE MAGIC FINGER shows hunters what it feels like to be hunted. The author reads all these magical tales in his elegant British tones, his pacing showing tenderness for his characters. The excellence of carefully chosen rhythms and rhymes resounds throughout. S.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 07]