THE MERMAN

Zeta and her whole family are afraid of water. So when they go on vacation to the north of Scotland and Zeta learns to swim (and many other things) from the merman, Marinus, it's an adventure and a half. June Whitfield's fresh, energetic and innocent reading of this book is a treat. She captures the sweet enthusiasm of Zeta's personality, and the wisdom of Marinus. As a bonus, Whitfield does a great job with the dialect of the Scots fishing village. As always, Dick King-Smith writes wonderful stories that stick to your ribs. The listener can be carried away by adventure, think about the courage it takes to try new things or just revel in the delight of meeting a real merman in a rocky northern sea every morning as the sun comes up. L.R.S. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 00]