Planning a long drive or flight for Spring Break? Dreading how to keep your kids entertained? Consider Audiobooks -- you’d be surprised how captivating they are! The love of reading is also the love of storytelling. Good Storytelling. And if your kids have ever listened to Jim Dale reading the Harry Potter series, you know that audiobooks can last a LOT longer than videos! So, bring along these adventures – you may find you might want to listen in, too!
Storytelling:
Battle of the Mad Scientist, by Bill Harley. Actually, anything by this master of hilarity is fantastic. Most of his albums are silly songs for kids that adults will love. But each album has a gem of a story on it. Mad Scientist has multiple stories about life as an elementary school kid. Whether it be the terrifying substitute teacher or the sled race down Mammoth Hill, your kids will invite their friends over to hear these “fish tales”. Harley is a commentator on NPR, and has also published children’s books. He’s like a grown up Calvin and Hobbes.
Audiobooks:
Ish, by Peter Reynolds, read by Chester Gregory. This little fable teaches you that sometimes things don’t have to be “perfect”. I would recommend having the book in front of you as you listen, because the artwork is captivating. A perfect treat before bedtime. Ideal for Preschool and up.
Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke, read by Brandon Fraser. A captivating reading by none other than the actor Brandon “George of the Jungle” Fraser, this is the story of a young dragon named Firedrake and his quest to find the Rim of Heaven. All dragons must escape there to avoid discovery and destruction by humans. With the help of an orphan boy named Ben, and a hilarious brownie named Sorrel, the quest is also a fast moving escape from Nettlebrand, a monster who will stop at nothing to find them. Funke, Germany’s beloved storyteller, is also the author of The Thief Lord and Inkspell and Inkheart. Good for Eragon or Harry Potter lovers.
Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne, read by Jim Dale. Dale is the reader for the Harry Potter series and is a classically trained British thespian. He is just fantastic as the voice for Phileas Fogg and his French valet Passepartout. Kids should know about the original in addition to enjoying the Jackie Chan movie version. Nearly 8 hours of listening time, this is a good story over long road trips.
More Resources:
For additional ideas, try out this website. It has the list of 2006 Notable Children’s Recordings as selected by the American Library Association: www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/childrensnotable/notablecreclist/currentnotable
And finally, if you search on iTunes, you can find a whole series of free podcasts geared towards children’s stories. Search “storynory” (storynory.com) and “stories for young children”, which will appear in the Podcast window. You, (or your kids!) can load up those iPods and away you go!
Happy Travels.
Julie Hubble lives in Leawood and still reads aloud to her 2 children.