The Turtle

[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with THE WHALE.]--Rylant's Lighthouse family is "an unusual family, but a very happy one." Pandora the cat and Seabold the dog have adopted three little mice; all live together rescuing various creatures lost at sea. In THE TURTLE, the family assists Aurora, a sea turtle who's on her way to see the Northern Lights; in THE WHALE, they help reunite a mother and baby beluga whale. Mark Nelson's voice has an old-fashioned, endearing quality that serves Rylant's material well, and his characters are remarkably well-imagined and easy to keep straight, whether he's voicing a family member or a guest visitor. Nelson's droll vocal sketches beautifully convey the sweetness of Rylant's odd but cozy world. J.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine