THE CASE OF THE SLEEPY SLOTH

William Dufris's "announcer" voice sets a perfect stage for a beginner's mystery reader. Dufris is a master of inflection, even within the accurate character-driven voices--impatient Bunny; inquisitive, gruff Jack; and Ramon, who has a delightful Spanish accent. The only detraction is the too frequent dialogue attribution, which begin to grate at times, although that might not bother beginning readers. Even though the story itself is short on mystery, the sound effects are excellent, and Dufris's narration elevates the production to an exceptional audiobook for beginning readers. W.L.S. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 06]