THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT

It's hard to improve on a classic, but Rosemary Leach manages to do just that. Almost everyone knows this story about a rabbit who doesn't listen to his mother and almost gets caught by Farmer McGregor. With her perfect British accent Rosemary Leach brings the story to life in the way we imagine Beatrix Potter saw it: a quiet English countryside of patchwork fields, pastel colors, and friendly animals. Starting out slow and relaxed, Leach's reading speeds up, and her words become more clipped and succinct as Peter gets more and more frightened. Younger children will be entranced by the simple story that combines action, gentle morals, and a satisfying end. W.L.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]