Heard any good books lately?
Categories: Children's Books
I’m addicted to audiobooks! It started as a way to stay current and manage a long commute to my former employer, but now it’s just plain fun.
In addition to all the fun, studies show audiobooks are also great exercise to keep kids’ skills sharp during school breaks! Audiobooks improve reading ability, vocabulary and reading comprehension. And, audiobooks can be a fantastic way for you to fulfill requirements for summer reading lists from school!
If you’ve never tried an audiobook, summer is a great time to explore this wonderful way of enjoying a book. From classics like Charlotte’s Web to new bestsellers like The 39 Clues, the library has a great collection of audiobooks for kids. Some of my favorites are listed below- the links take you to the CD edition, but many of these titles are also available as a downloadables- don’t forget to stock up in advance of your summer road trips!
Picture Books with CD’s
In Doreen Cornin's Diary of a Fly, a young fly documents many everyday situations in her diary, from fitting in on the first day of school to having trouble with the babysitter. Illustrator Harry Bliss narrates the characters with appropriately high-pitched voices. All of the text in the illustrations and on the end papers is also narrated, including the dialogue in the comics Fly is reading. Subtle sound effects and occasional music enhance the telling.
Join a backhoe loader for a day of work in I’m Dirty! by Kate McMullan. This fanciful romp features big machinery and nearly every description. Steve Busemi’s narration captures all the enthusiasm of this personified backhoe.
I'm a huge fan of Steve Jenkins. In What to do with a Tail like this? readers can explore the many amazing things animals can do with their ears, eyes, mouths, noses, feet, and tails in this interactive guessing book.
Told from Alexander T. Wolf’s point of view, narrator Paul Giamatti presents a compelling case for the wolf’s innocence in The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Schescka
Mo Willems’s Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale stars Trixie, Daddy, and Knuffle Bunny on a trip to the neighborhood Laundromat. But the exciting adventure takes a dramatic turn when Trixie realizes somebunny was left behind. Featuring the voices of Mo, Cheryl & Trixie Willems this one is a must hear!
The late, great Ray Charles rocks out the alphabet in Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin. It’s a rollicking and razzmatazz way to learn letters!
Juvenile Fiction on CD
When Gooney Bird enters Mrs. Pigeon's second-grade class, she lets everyone know she likes to be "right smack in the middle of things." Lee Adams captures the listener's rapt attention as she delivers Gooney Bird's talent for tales with a slight Southern accent and flawless timing that makes the most of Gooney Bird's humor and sense of surprise. Each of the four adventures, including the newest, Gooney Bird is so Absurd are included here in Lois Lowry’s The Gooney Bird Collection.
Meg Cabot’s new series, Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Moving Day and The New Girl is outstanding. Sands, known to audiobook aficionados as the teen gumshoe in Wendelin Van Draanen's Sammy Keyes series, brings all the angst of a powerless tween to bear in voicing these novels. S
usan Denaker evokes memories of childhood summers of freedom, adventure, and new friends in this sprightly audio edition of Birdsall's novel, The Penderwicks, which won the National Book Award. The four Penderwick sisters, with their father and dog Hound, are spending a three-week vacation at a cottage on the Arundel estate. Beautiful gardens for romping, pet rabbits, a lonely boy to befriend, and attic treasures to uncover all weave into a story of a vacation made for memories. When you’ve finished, be sure to grab the sequel, The Penderwicks on Gardham Street!
Kate Jackson narrates The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles. Jackson hits a home run as the inspired choice to read Wiles's heartfelt story with baseball at its center. Her slightly raspy voice, shaded with an occasional twang, is perfect for bringing to life the cast of memorable and colorfully named characters of a rural town in Mississippi.
Anne of Green Gables by M.L. Montgomery is the perfect way for little listeners to become acquainted with Anne, the red-headed whirlwind who shakes up Avonlea. Also a great listen for nostalgic moms!
