"A Guide to the Birds of East Africa" by Nicholas Drayson is a nice change of pace from everyday life. It is a captivating little story with warm, likable characters that gives a glimpse of Kenyan life and politics. The narrator (someone we never meet) passes along the tale of Mr. Malik and Harry Kahn and their bet to ask Rose Mbikwa to the Nairobi Hunt Ball. Whoever can identify the most birds in one week's time gets the privilege of asking Rose. Poor Mr. Malik goes through a lot of trouble finding his birds, while Mr. Kahn sails through as though he was on vacation. If you are a bird watcher, this book will be even more entertaining for you.
Another charming book I listened to on cd is "Thimble Summer" by Elizabeth Enright. I've decided to try more of the Newbery award winning books on cd from the children's department. You can count on the story being good and they aren't really long. It's also nice to read something where you aren't afraid of the next horrible thing that is going to happen. This book is about nine-year-old Garnet Linden and her life on the farm in Wisconsin. It's set in a time when a young girl could hitch-hike to the next town without worrying and children could come and go without the parents knowing where they were. This book actually won the Newbery award in 1939 so its been around for a long time.
Susan
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