WINNIE-THE-POOH

We could have a Winnie-the-Pooh convention with all the audiobook versions that have cropped up this season. All are quite classic renditions of the Pooh stories--particularly welcome after the recent trend that made every story into a cartoon. It's quite hard to make distinctions among these except to say that if you'd prefer an American voice reading Pooh's adventures with Eeyore, Piglet, Roo, Owl and Christopher Robin, try Charles Kuralt's readings. They may sound a bit like On the Road With Pooh and Piglet, but Kuralt's avuncular voice takes the perfect tone for the longer stories of Winnie-the-Pooh and The House At Pooh Corner. He's fully relaxed and lets the narrative take its familiar path while keeping the whimsy fresh. Families can enjoy this reading and parents will appreciate the understated British humor as they become part of the audience instead of narrators themselves. R.F.W. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: NOV/DEC 97]