ELEANOR & HATTIE AND THE WILD WAVES

Barbara Cooney, award-winning children's author and illustrator, presents the contrasting childhoods of two little girls. Both girls live very different, yet privileged, lives: The lonely life of young Eleanor Roosevelt is contrasted with Hattie's loving, happy family, inspired by Cooney's own. Both stories reflect Cooney's interest in independent women and are marked by her descriptive storytelling style. Including the details of houses, artifacts and events makes both stories rich and reflective of their turn-of-the-century settings. However, Cooney's luminous, evocative illustrations are missed, and their absence limits the success of these narrations. The audiobook will be much richer if accompanied by the picture books. Cooney gives a grandmother's reading of the texts. She's expressive but doesn't add a dramatic component. Her personal introduction and afterword do add nice enhancement to her narration. If you can't be there with your grandchildren, send Barbara Cooney to read her books for you. R.F.W. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN 97]