THE GRUFFALO

Sound effects place listeners in a "deep, dark wood." A cheery whistling belongs to a mouse who meets one predator after another. Narrator Imelda Staunton excels at these cameos. Fox, Snake, and Owl approach Mouse with menace. Then, each turns fearful as Mouse describes a Gruffalo who hunts them, creating a terrifying picture to build their anxiety. Mouse's glee grows until the imagined Gruffalo appears, and Mouse is now the one in terror. But wit triumphs over his shaking voice as he pivots to another plan. Staunton does a fabulous job as she shifts between her precise narrative and her dramatic representations. The production concludes with Staunton's theatrical singing of "The Gruffalo Song." S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2020]