One Voice, Please
Kindergarten-Grade 4—This little volume contains more than 50 short stories, each told in only one to three pages. An introduction explains that it was put together by a "Collector of Stories," and the title derives from the hushing of the crowd so that only one voice—that of the storyteller—can be heard. It is an impressive gathering of tales from all over the world. Many are familiar, such as "The Belling of the Cat," "The Good Samaritan," and "The Elephant and the Blind Men." Each one has been retold by McBratney, and they all take on an Aesop-fable quality with often humorous endings. A few of the morals might go over younger children's heads', but even so the selections could be enjoyed by the whole family. It is a book that can be dipped in and out of and would make for a good bedtime read-aloud. Each story contains a spare line drawing done in basic shapes and lines to depict animals, people, and objects; they add little to the text. This is not a particularly impressive volume, but it is worth having since it gathers together so many traditional tales concisely and in one place.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.