The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks
Grade 3-6.  Nancy McArthur's book (Avon, pap. 1988) has been a consistent seller at school book fairs and a sure fire attention holder as a read aloud. This unabridged version is read expressively by Richard Adamson, who has developed distinctive voices for each of the characters. The story is a contrast between brothers, Michael and Norman, who share a room despite the fact that one is Mr. Neat and the other Mr. Messy. One day some odd seeds arrive in the mail. Michael decides to conduct a scientific experiment, so he begins feeding them a food such as broccoli and pizza. The plants grow enormous vines and leaves that threaten to overtake the boys' room. Their mother demands to know where Michael's dirty socks are going. Listeners learn, before the two boys do, that Michael's plant is eating his dirty socks. The boys realize that they must protect the plants' secret from the rest of the family and their friends. The gentle humor and silly adventures leading up to the school's big science fair will amuse and hold the attention of almost all intermediate grade students, and serve as a neat lead in to reading the book. This tape belongs in all audio collections for intermediate grades.?Linda R. Skeele, Western Elementary School, Georgetown, KYCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theAudio Cassetteedition.