Reviews

K-Gr 3-In I Hate to Read!, Victor Dickens hates to read and blames it on his dog who, as a pup, chewed up a book and buried it. But the boy pretends to read so he will be allowed to watch TV. One night as he leafs through a picture book, a series of odd characters emerge from the pages: a rabbit, a field mouse, a princely frog, a lab-coated crocodile, and a peg-legged parrot. One-by-one, they try to convince Victor that there are all kinds of adventures to be had in books. As he befriends this motley crew, he begins to worry that if no one reads these books, his friends will disappear. With that in mind, Victor picks up his book and actually begins reading it. I Still Hate to Read! is not as successful. Victor doesn't want anyone to know that he has become a book lover, and most of the story is told in the boy's head, making it difficult for children to distinguish between what is real and unreal. These books (Creative Editions, 1993, 2007), written by Rita Marshall and illustrated by Etienne Delessert, are narrated at a moderate pace by Asa Dorfman who clearly voices the various characters. Background music varies as Victor travels through the books. Page-turn signals are optional. I Hate to Read! is the better choice to supplement audiobook collections for young readers.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.