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Listen to Any Good Books Lately?

You’ve probably noticed the ever-increasing selection of audio books for adults in your local library or bookstore, made popular by our commuting, multi-tasking society. But did you know there are also wonderful audio books for children? We took a look at the range of children’s audio books available, and we want to share with you some of the gems we’ve found.

Audio books for children aren’t just for kids on the go – though they can be great for long car trips. (Keep this in mind with summer vacation just around the corner!) Listening to audio books at home can offer a nice change of pace at bedtime, bathtime, or in the kitchen while you’re cooking, or as an alternative to TV that more actively engages the imagination. You can even listen together as a family – a bit like sitting around the radio in the “olden days.”

Audio books are just one more way to introduce children to great books. By listening to a story read aloud, children can enjoy books they are not yet able to read on their own, and an inspired reading or performance of a book can even add an “extra something” to the listener’s understanding or enjoyment of the story. However, don’t let listening to audio books replace your reading aloud to your children. Listening to audio books has some of the same benefits to your child of listening to you read aloud, but it doesn’t have the most important benefit of all – being with you, and the closeness you both feel when sharing a book together.

Finally, not all audio books are alike – there are some real differences in format and recording style. Below, you will find a few fine examples of some of the different types of audio books for children available. Click on any title to read a short review of that recording.

Book & Cassette Read-Alongs
These are usually picture books or beginning readers – shorter books that are included along with the cassette, so your child can read along and enjoy the illustrations while listening. Often one side of the tape contains the story read with audible page-turning prompts, while the other side is read uninterrupted. Here are some great books & cassettes for younger children to enjoy:

Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Chris Raschka. Read by Richard Allen.

Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Read by Forest Whitaker.

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe. Read by Robin Miles.

Snow by Uri Shulevitz. Read by George Guidall.

Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka. Read by Tucker Bliss and Ryann Williams.

 

Audio Chapter Books and Novel

Most audio versions of longer chapter books and novels are packaged separately on cassette or CD, without a copy of the book, and they are of two basic types: unabridged, or abridged versions (sometimes the cuts are made with the approval of the author). Of course, children may choose to read along in the book as they listen (this can be helpful for children with reading difficulties, though most proficient readers can probably read faster than the person reading aloud on the recording). Below, you will find some excellent examples of three different styles of audio books, those read by an actor, those read by the author, and those dramatized by a full cast.

Read by an Actor
Actors often read with a sense of dramatic pacing and timing, frequently employing slightly different voices to distinguish between characters. When this is done well, it can add layers of feeling and meaning to a book, that even skilled readers will appreciate. Here are some outstanding examples:



The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. Read by Tim Curry.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. Read by Cherry Jones.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. Read by James Avery.

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper. Read by Alex Jennings.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. Read by Jim Dale.

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. Read by Sophie Thompson.

Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman. Read by Janet McTeer.

Read by the Author
It can be a real treat to hear an author read his or her own work. Whether an author reads in a more straightforward manner, without altering his or her voice for different characters, or adds zing with varying voices (and in some cases, music), it can be a revelation to hear an author’s words read in the way he or she intended them to sound. Some excellent choices are:




Charlotte’s Web, written and read by E.B. White.

The Frog and Toad Audio Collection, written and read by Arnold Lobel.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, written and read by Jack Gantos.

A Pizza the Size of the Sun, poems written and performed by Jack Prelutsky.

The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit, retold and read by Julius Lester.

Where the Sidewalk Ends, poems written and performed by Shel Silverstein.

 


Performed by a Full Cast
Dramatizations with a full cast of actors can be a wonderful experience, transporting the listener to another time and place – like listening to old radio serials. Though there is usually some slight abridgment (“he saids” and “she saids” are often cut to improve the flow of the dialogue), full cast productions can transform a book into a fine dramatic performance. A marvelous full cast recording for older children is:


The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. Performed by Philip Pullman and a Full Cast.

 

Lauren Mayer

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