From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7. An entry in a series whose aim is to give readers a clearer picture of the time and place in which classic stories take place. This version of Little Women is augmented with text and illustrations that explain some of the period social customs, clothes, entertainments, etc. Also included are some bits of information about Louisa May Alcott's life. This approach seems best suited to children already familiar with the story; they may find the historical perspective interesting. First-time readers will most likely be distracted by the margin notes that pull attention from the narrative. While they can be helpful, as when they illustrate an unfamiliar piece of clothing, they are often distracting and can even be confusing in their placement. For instance, a note mentioning the Laurences is placed two pages before those characters are introduced. This format may also discourage readers from independent research?a process that can be rewarding in its own right. One other caveat?as explained in an endnote, Little Women was originally written in two parts, and this volume only contains part one, which ends with Mr. March's return. Readers familiar with the more common two-part version may find this title incomplete; children new to this classic will be better off with any one of the unembellished versions available.?Arwen Marshall, New York Public LibraryCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
How would one describe this latest recording of the classic story from Alcott (Little Men, Audio Reviews, LJ 11/15/96)? The answer must be, clear, competent, and unexciting. Laura Grafton is a precise reader, but her voice lacks expressiveness, and she makes little attempt to vocally differentiate (and/or animate) the characters. The result is an inoffensive and slightly dull rendering. There's nothing wrong; the tapes just won't grab the attention of the casual listener. The producer has made a praiseworthy attempt to reduce costs by having each cassette side carry double text. At $22.95, this tape set is an excellent value. Unfortunately, this double-track format requires a stereo cassette player with a fully functioning balance control. Most portable cassette players and some car stereo systems do not have this feature. Since, at least anecdotally, a large percentage of recreational audiocassette library borrowers are commuters or exercisers, one should consider whether this format would be used by patrons. Libraries purchasing this format might also consider purchasing (and lending) the associated headphone adaptor plugs. Recommended for libraries with limited audiobook budgets and/or appropriate user populations.AI. Pour-El, Iowa State Univ., AmesCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Parents' Choice®
The St. Charles Players deliver a remarkable performance of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. In this presentation of the story of a New England family of girls growing up in the Civil War-era, Amy is youthfully rambunctious, Marmee is suitable calm, but it is Jo who gives the reading the true Alcott essence. A 1999 Parents' Choice® Silver Honor Winner. (Kit Bloom, Parents' Choice®)
From AudioFile
Timeless classics can sometimes be a bit stale and leave you struggling to apply them to the present. Conversely, Alcott's themes of love, kindness and faith endure through the centuries. The March family, with its four spirited daughters, succeeds in any circumstances. In the St. Charles Players' dramatization, the parents' parts are well cast; but the children's parts are read too fast, and the laughter sounds forced. The vocabulary level is high, and the dialogue isn't realistic or natural for young listeners. Solo narration would better suit this ageless prose. Lovely hymns cue the tape sides. A.G.H. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Little Women FROM OUR EDITORS
Meet the March sisters: the talented and tomboyish Jo, the beautiful Meg, the frail Beth, and the spoiled Amy, as they pass through the years between girlhood and womanhood. A lively portrait of growing up in the 19th century with lasting vitality and enduring charm.
ANNOTATION
Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young ladies in nineteenth-century New England.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
The latest addition ot the Charming Classic series includes a paperback edition of Little Women, the first American children's novel to become a classic, and a beautiful gold-tone cameo. This timeless favorite follows the four March sisters—pretty Meg, tomboy Jo, shy Beth, and vain Amy—as they grow and mature into four distinctive little women.
Louisa May Alcott was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Boston and Concord, Massachusetts, the setting for Little Women. Jo is based on Louisa herself, and Meg, Beth, and Amy are inspired by Louisa's own three sisters.
SYNOPSIS
Timeless in its evocation of idealized family life and robustly enduring, Little Women is recognized as one of the best-loved classic children's stories of all time. Originally written as a "girls" story, its appeal transcends the boundaries of time and age, making it as popular with adults as it is with young readers. For this is a beguiling story of happiness and hope, of the joys of companionship, domestic harmony and infinite mother love, all seen through the life of the March family. But which of the four March sisters to love best? For every reader must have their favorite. Independent, tomboyish Jo; delicate, loving Beth; pretty, kind Meg, or precocious and beautiful Amy, the baby of the family? Little Women was an instant success when first published in 1868, and followed only a year later by the sequel, Little Wives.
Louisa May Alcott was born in Pennsylvania in 1832, the second of four daughters of the philosopher Bronson Alcott. She was educated at home and went on to become a schoolteacher in Boston. Her first book Flower Fables (which she wrote when she was sixteen) was published when she was twenty-two, but she interrupted her career as a writer to nurse soldiers at a Washington hospital during the civil war. Her most enduring book, Little Women, was published in 1868 and was an instant success. Other books include Little Men and Jo's Boys. Louisa May Alcott died in 1988 at the age of fifty-six.
The handsome volumes in The Collectors Library present great works of world literature in a handy hardback format. Printed on high-quality paper and bound in real cloth, each complete and unabridged volume has a specially commissioned afterword, brief biography of the author and a further-reading list. This easily accessible series offers readers the perfect opportunity to discover, or rediscover, some of the world's most endearing literary works.
The volumes in The Collector's Library are sumptuously produced, enduring editions to own, to collect and to treasure.
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