17 different women, 36 crazy children, 0 babies in utero
Adventures, Advice and Questions from a group of Mormon women who met in Queens, NY and have now scattered all over the place.
 

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Heaven-sent: Audiobooks for Children

My first experience with audiobooks (apart from the few tape and book combos we've checked out from the library over the last few years) were CD's I just happened to pick up in the $1 bins at Michaels. One had four fairy tales and one had four bible stories. Princess immediately fell in love with them. And the amount of quiet time those two cheap CD's have afforded me over the last year has made it the best $2 I have ever spent.

For Christmas we got her the highly recommended Magic Treehouse Books 1-8. These stories are each about 50 minutes long so listening to two of them makes for a perfect "rest-time" (naptimes for her are starting to dwindle). They could be a little scary for the younger crowd (dinosaurs, pirates, mummies, etc) but I love that each one is a riveting story full of factual information.

A couple other audiobooks that have been recommended to me are A Bear Called Paddington and The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders.

Another great resource for audiobooks is your local library. They are not yours to keep and listen to 100 times in a row, but the price is right. My library even offers a digital library online where you can download audiobooks straight to your computer. But, they don't have any children's books yet and their download process doesn't work for Mac's yet. Bummer for me, but make sure to check with your own local library to see if they have any such program.

My latest and greatest find is Storynory. A site that publishes free audio stories every week. And they are ipod ready. I feel like it is a goldmine. The woman who reads the stories has a velvety british accent that I find very nice to listen too. She has recorded many fairy tales, animal stories and is currently working on Alice in Wonderland. We are so in love with this site.

Any other audiobook suggestions for children? I would love to hear them.

posted by This is Carrie @ 1/31/2007 08:17:00 PM   add to kirtsy


9 Comments:

  • well I don't know about heaven-sent...but you have converted me to the idea. I just downloaded 3 bible stories to add to my Sunday playlist, and 4 fairytales to mix into my kids mix. I will let you know if my girls like them....they seem really fun and I am SO GLAD you shared...
    posted by Blogger Kage at 2/01/2007 08:15:00 AM  



  • Okay, sure there are things that are MORE heaven-sent. Like babies, and miracles and chocolate, but I can't imagine our lives anymore without our precious audio books and stories. And thanks to Michelle's cleaning tip, I have been excited to listen to more audiobooks of my own.

    (You're loving your ipod aren't you.)
    posted by Blogger This is Carrie at 2/01/2007 08:28:00 AM  



  • We haven't listened to many audio books for kids--just a few really short ones that go along with picture books, so thanks for the suggestions. I put an order on a set of Magic Tree House at the library and we'll try it out. I am a huge library fan, primarily for the cost (nothing) but also because we can legitimately get rid of books and movies when I am sick sick sick of them. Does L just hang out in her room while listening during her quiet time?

    And as a threadjack, what good adult audio books have you listened to?
    posted by Blogger Belle at 2/01/2007 12:13:00 PM  



  • L usually takes her rest time in my bedroom because she shares her room with her sister (who sleeps at the same time). She just lays on the bed and listens. Sometimes she falls asleep. Otherwise, she knows how many stories she needs to listens to before she can come out.

    As for adult audiobooks I have listened to Freakonomics and The Prosperity Paradox (both non-fiction) and The Book of Fate (a trashy fiction novel by Brad Meltzer that wasn't great). Right now I am listening to The Alchemist. I bought the book during the summer but can't seem to make the time to sit down and read it. As an audio book, chances are better that I will finally be able to finish it.

    Another great thing about the audiobooks is that T and I have been able to "read" the same book at the same time. It had been fun have discussions about them.
    posted by Anonymous Anonymous at 2/01/2007 12:23:00 PM  



  • My younger brother and sister loved Scripture Scouts. My nieces love them too. I haven't listened to them much but apparently it's some kids and a dog hanging out in a treehouse talking about gospel topics (scripture stories, articles of faith, family proclamation, etc.). Sounds cheesy but the bits I've listened to are actually pretty funny. I think you can get them at LDS bookstores, or order online.
    posted by Blogger Eliza at 2/01/2007 12:31:00 PM  



  • I hadn't thought about audiobooks for Max, but I have a feeling that Storynory is about to change my life! :-) Thanks for posting it!
    posted by Blogger marian at 2/01/2007 01:49:00 PM  



  • (Yes I am loving my ipod...because I can organize)
    posted by Blogger Kage at 2/01/2007 02:48:00 PM  



  • The book Carrie and I listened to is actually called "The Progress Paradox" (in case anyone looks for it). Very good. I just bought Barack Obama's book - The Audacity of Hope. Obama actually narrates it himself, which is sort of nice. Interesting book to listen to, even if it makes me want to scream sometimes.
    posted by Blogger Todd at 2/07/2007 05:35:00 PM  



  • i havent listened to many audio books but i think im going to start getting into them
    posted by Anonymous Anonymous at 7/08/2008 11:37:00 PM  



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