El Raton de Ciudad y el Raton de Campo

K-Gr 2-This succinctly retold version of the classic tale clips along at a lively pace without missing a beat. All of the anticipated elements of the story the arrogance of the city mouse, the humble yet sensible country mouse, the splendor of all the city has to offer counterbalanced with the dangers it also presents, etc. are neatly incorporated. The accompanying audio CD features a male narrator with a female reading the dialog. The Castilian accent of the voices is noticeable but not obtrusive. Very young readers may be confused as they attempt to follow along with the text, as the narrators sometimes skip explanatory phrases in favor of keeping up the pace of the dialog. The softly rendered, colored-pencil illustrations feature the two mice dressed in 19th-century European-style clothing (e.g., a peasant smock for the country mouse and a top hat and tails for the city mouse). While the packaging may be problematic for some libraries, bookstores should definitely consider this offering. Maria Otero-Boisvert, ""Criticas""