Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale (Picture Puffin)
PreSchool-Grade 3-This cassette read-along of the Caldecott Honor  picture book by John Steptoe (Lothrop, 1987) is an extremely  effective presentation of a traditional Zimbabwe folk tale about  a man with two daughters the deceitful, selfish Manyara and her  sister Nyasha, who is good and generous. When the King sends for  a bride, he chooses Nyasha after appearing to her disguised as a  snake and a young boy. Narrator Robin Miles' intonation and  pacing have an African cadence. Her voice is pleasant, and she  varies her tones to create the different characters. Sound  effects of jungle animals, rushing water, and background voices  add to the presentation. The sound of a page being turned is  used to cue listeners to follow the text in the book. This  should be included in all library audio collections for young  children.Diane Balodis, Alden Intermediate School, NYCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.