Great Audio Books for Kids

September 2006 Special Advertising Section

In the car, on a plane, even during quiet time, audio books are a great way to expose kids to the written word. Listening, after all, is an important part of learning the vocabulary and cadence of reading. Plus, with cool sound effects, music, and casts of (sometimes famous) actors audio books are just plain fun. For downloadable versions of these titles, check audible.com.

The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders
by Jack Prelutsky
Author Jack Prelutsky adds his musical chops to his storytelling talents, playing guitar and singing along to his comical poems with bass guitar, mandolin, percussion, and keyboard effects. For preschoolers.

The Magic Treehouse Collection
by Mary Pope Osborne
This series, read by the author, relates a brother and sister’s discovery of a magic treehouse filled with books that can send them traveling through time and space. For early elementary and up.

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance
by Jennifer Armstrong
This tale of extreme adventure, read by poet Taylor Mali, follows the crew of twenty-seven men who sailed from England in 1914 hoping to cross Antarctica, but became trapped in ice and were stranded in the icy wilderness. For mid-elementary and up.

Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Actor James Avery reads this Newbery Medal–winning tale about a boy who leaves foster care to search for his father. The engaging story is accentuated by jazz riffs for a melodious listen. For mid-elementary and up.

The Golden Compass
by Philip Pullman
Pullman and a full cast bring to life his fantasy epic (the first in the series) depicting tomboy Lyra, the mysterious disappearance of a few of her friends, and her dangerous journey to the snowy far north to find them. For mid-elementary and up.

Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
by Joyce Carol Oates
Actors Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe perform in the story of Matt Donaghy, whose big mouth finally gets him into trouble when he is accused of threatening to blow up Rocky River High. For young adults.

Dragon Rider
by Cornelia Funke
A dragon, a brownie, and an orphan boy search for the legendary valley known as the Rim of Heaven, meeting good and evil creatures along the way in this tale read by actor Brendan Fraser. For young adults.

Into Thin Air
by Jon Krakauer
The author reads his first-hand account of his Mt. Everest expedition, a trip that in the end claimed the lives of five climbers. For young adults.

Monster
by Walter Dean Myers
A full cast reads this gripping account of sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon, on trial as an accomplice to murder, as he details his experiences in the legal system in an attempt to measure the outcome of his life. For young adults.