read by Josefina Bosch

Houghton Mifflin, 1994

From AudioFile

In a lovely marriage of music and text, the soft, repetitive strains of a flute and guitar duo accompany Scott's tranquil tale of quiet time shared by an Eskimo child and his mother, and subtly echo the story's soothing refrain: "Back and forth, back and forth they rocked." One by one, Michael collects his special possessions for his rockingchair snuggle-dolly, boat, his reindeer blanket and the puppy. But when his baby sister begins to cry, Michael is not sure there will be room for her, too. Sibling rivalry is gently quelled when Mother gathers both of them to her and assures her son that "there is always room on Mother's lap." The narrator, who has a slight but unidentifiable accent, is polished but somewhat detached, and her voice lacks the warmth that the story demands. Nevertheless, it's an effective production. Clever page-turn prompts (the double creak of a rocking chair) on one side of the cassette give a boost to beginning readers.