JOSIE SMITH IN SPRING

Josie, a sweet, young English girl without siblings or a father, is full of charm, innocent good intentions, and inadvertent mischief. Through Josie, Nabb adroitly conveys the innocent confusion children have in understanding the adult world. All of her characters are well drawn, and children may find Josie's spoiled friend, Eileen, especially recognizable. Ann Beach's fine reading of this enchanting tale brings all of these characters to life; Josie's sweet innocence, her mother's love, and Eileen's snobbishness are all ably performed. Her reading of Josie's earnest search of the dictionary to find a word's meaning wonderfully captures the young girl's perplexity and amazement at the variations of language. Since this is a British work, some of the expressions ("lift," "Wellingtons," etc.) may throw off a few people this side of the Atlantic. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 02]