YOU'RE ALL MY FAVORITES

This gentle bedtime story receives a sensitive reading by Alan Marriott. "You are the most wonderful baby bears in the whole wide world," the parents tell their three cubs. Marriott voices the concerns of the three with squeaky, nervous tones. Each has a different worry—might gender, appearance, or size make one of them less lovable? To balance the babies' worries, Marriott uses tender and calm tones as both mother and father describe a love that knows no limitation. Lester Barnes's musical soundscape of chirping crickets and soft lullaby tunes has an occasional tuba “oompah” to portray the solid parent bears. In the second track a bell signals page-turns for new readers. S.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2008]