Ten in a Bed - Hardcover

Young Dinah Price lives an idyllic life with a happy family and good friends. But 10 fairy-tale visitors turn her life upside down by parading through her bedroom nightly, demanding she tell them a story. Crane handles the 10 characters plus Dinah and her parents well, demonstrating good vocal range, from high and shrill for the witch to deep and booming for the giant. Some of the story is intentionally repetitive, and Crane aptly slips into a monotonous tone for the text that is the same each night. A.G.H. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Grade 3-6-Allan Ahlberg's charming British import has been transformed into a superb audio recording. Ten in a Bed is the story of young Dinah Price who discovers that each night her bed is occupied by a different nursery rhyme or fairy tale character. The characters refuse to leave until Dinah tells them a story. In each case, she turns the original story around so the character will not be offended. Ahlberg's original book was intended for a primary school audience, but for American students the audience is probably much older. Many American primary students do not have a familiarity with all the fairy tales and nursery rhymes to grasp the humor of this story, but those who do have this background are in for a treat. This fine recording would be perfect for upper elementary and middle school students who will appreciate the rich language and dry British wit. The story lends it perfectly to a lesson on different meanings of words and irony. This audiobook would be an excellent follow-up activity to a unit on fairy tales. Adults and children alike will find Ten in a Bed a treat for the ears.
Linda R. Skeele, Western Elementary, Georgetown, KY
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