CHEETAH

CHEETAH, by Rod Theodorou, is an excellent book--informative, clear, and concise--a quality nonfiction selection for beginning readers. The narration, in Scott Brick's wonderfully smooth, clear, even voice, is also great. He keeps a perfect pace--slow enough to read along, fast enough to keep from dragging. However, some of the connections that make a great book into a great audiobook for early readers are missing: There are no page-turning signals; no explanations about the bold-faced words or the glossary in the back; no explanations regarding the different pictures on the pages. For early or nonreaders, this leaves them missing information, or losing the narrator, if they stop to look at the pictures. This book offers some great parts, but not a great whole. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]