THE WATER GIFT AND THE PIG OF THE PIG

Isabel's grandfather has the water gift--with a Y-shaped stick, he can tell those who need wells dug where the water lies under their land. Isabel and her friend Pig keep grandfather company on his dowsing jobs until they encounter a run of bad luck--her grandfather appears to lose his gift, and Isabel loses her pig. Jenny Ikeda narrates this production, and her engaging, youthful voice is a good fit since young Isabel narrates the story. Ikeda not only brings alive the voices of the different characters (including Isabel's grandparents and her mean neighbor), she also makes the most of the interesting language of the story, which is dense and reads almost like a prose poem. Listeners will enjoy this story about the power of determination and believing in things you can't always explain. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 05]