From Publishers Weekly
Children's book publisher Barefoot recently dove into the audiobook waters with a debut list that includes this collection of seven fairy tales from around the world. Princesses of all manner star in stories, some familiar ("The Princess and the Pea" from Denmark, "The Sleeping Beauty" from Germany) and some less so ("The Princess Who Lost Her Hair" from Africa and "The Birdcage Husband" from central Asia). In the fairy tale tradition, each princess knows how to meet a challenge head-on, using a combination of style, cleverness, kindness and honesty. And fittingly, one common thread weaves each of the tales together all the heroines eventually find love (with a suitable suitor) and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, Wolfson's flat and uneven delivery fails to give the brief and jauntily adapted stories any sparkle. Young fairy tale fans may well prefer the magical-looking print version in this case. This enhanced CD includes images from the book some of Olwyn Matthews's fine, jewel-tone illustrations which can be viewed on a PC. Ages 5-10. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with SHAKESPEARE'S STORYBOOK, THE FABRICS OF FAIRYTALE, and GIANTS, GHOSTS, AND GOBLINS.]--One of the delights of telling stories to children is seeing the excitement in their faces as they pick out familiar themes and characters, while waiting for the next twist in the plot. Likewise, they can enjoy the little tingles of fear when the villain appears because he or she is familiar from another story. Barefoot Books has created a delightful series of stories on CD, including stories from cultures all over the world, many of which are little known, or variations of the better-known folktales. PRINCESSES is gently narrated by Margaret Wolfson in a well-modulated voice. She gives individual characters within each story their own voices, and becomes harsh or soft as the story demands. Patrick Ryan narrates SHAKESPEARE'S STORYBOOK with impeccable enunciation. He has less differentiation between the various characters, and his pacing is unpredictable, but overall he does well. GIANTS, GHOSTS & GOBLINS is an interesting collection--some charming stories, some too gruesome for younger children--all narrated in a down-to-earth country twang by Jerry Nelson. Although his male voices are more realistic than his female ones, he manages to convey, through tone and inflection, that all will end well. My favorite of the group, for both its stories and its narration, is THE FABRICS OF FAIRYTALE, charmingly narrated by Tanya Batt with a lovely, litlting brogue. Batt's narration melds sweetness, intelligence, and wisdom into the characters and uses just the right pacing to keep the stories flowing smoothly. In addition to the excellent narration, Barefoot Books provides a synopsis of each story, in order, so the listener can pick and choose by place or content, a benefit of the CD format. And the musical interludes at the beginning and end set the appropriate mood for each group of stories. W.L.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Princess Stories FROM THE CRITICS
AudioFile
[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with SHAKESPEARE'S STORYBOOK, THE FABRICS OF FAIRYTALE, and GIANTS, GHOSTS, AND GOBLINS.]—One of the delights of telling stories to children is seeing the excitement in their faces as they pick out familiar themes and characters, while waiting for the next twist in the plot. Likewise, they can enjoy the little tingles of fear when the villain appears because he or she is familiar from another story. Barefoot Books has created a delightful series of stories on CD, including stories from cultures all over the world, many of which are little known, or variations of the better-known folktales. PRINCESSES is gently narrated by Margaret Wolfson in a well-modulated voice. She gives individual characters within each story their own voices, and becomes harsh or soft as the story demands. Patrick Ryan narrates SHAKESPEARE'S STORYBOOK with impeccable enunciation. He has less differentiation between the various characters, and his pacing is unpredictable, but overall he does well. GIANTS, GHOSTS & GOBLINS is an interesting collection—some charming stories, some too gruesome for younger children—all narrated in a down-to-earth country twang by Jerry Nelson. Although his male voices are more realistic than his female ones, he manages to convey, through tone and inflection, that all will end well. My favorite of the group, for both its stories and its narration, is THE FABRICS OF FAIRYTALE, charmingly narrated by Tanya Batt with a lovely, litlting brogue. Batt's narration melds sweetness, intelligence, and wisdom into the characters and uses just the right pacing to keep the stories flowing smoothly. In addition to the excellentnarration, Barefoot Books provides a synopsis of each story, in order, so the listener can pick and choose by place or content, a benefit of the CD format. And the musical interludes at the beginning and end set the appropriate mood for each group of stories. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
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