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Just Listening: Audiobooks
By Kathryn Shepler
Aurora School , Oakland
The Witch’s Boy by Michael Gruber, performed by Denis O’Hare (unabridged). Harper Children’s Audio, 2005, 7 CDs, 8 hrs. $29.95, ISBN 0-06-078596-9. Grades 5-8: The odd, ugly baby – named “Lump” for his misshapen form – is taken in by a witch and nursed by a massive bear and amused by creatures of the forest. When he is grown he wears a mask to hide his ugliness and blend in with the human world to which he yearns to belong. Gruber weaves into his story variations on classic folklore stories with twists in the narrative line that delight the knowledgeable reader. The audio of his book is sparkling with a clear voice and well-developed voices for each character. O’Hare offers a crisp rendition where the voice brings the words to life without making the listener conscious of his narrator presence.
King of the Mild Frontier: an Ill-Advised Autobiography by Chris Crutcher, performed by Chris Crutcher (unabridged). Listening Library, 2005, 4 CDs, 4 hrs. $??.00. ISBN 1-400-90500-X. Grades 7-up: Chris Crutcher has written an autobiography that shows us all the real-life sources for his wonderful stories. Characters that made their way into print from Whale Talk to Sledding Hill were part of Crutcher’s real growing up experiences in a small Idaho town. This is the best use for an author narration of his own work – the memoir. The voice of the author rings with first person clarity. This is an enriching addition to reading any of Crutcher’s novels. Both young listeners and the adults who work with them will be well served by listening to this fascinating autobiography in the author’s own voice.
Board Book Round-up
Penny Peck, San Leandro Public Library
Publishers must be getting our message – there are lots of great new board books being released that really serve the target audience (babies and toddlers). There are fewer picture books being converted into the board book format, and more clear, brightly colored books with very brief texts.
Series:
Blake, Michel. OUT TO PLAY. ISBN 076362767-4.
OFF TO BED. ISBN 076362766-6.
NUMBERS. ISBN 0-7636-2747-X.
COLORS. ISBN 0-7636-2746-1.
Photos by Trish Gant. "Easy-Open" series, Candlewick, 2005. $5.99 each.
If I could afford only one set of board books, this is the set I would purchase. The side edge of each page is cut a little wider or narrower than the page next to it, which makes it truly easy to open. Perfectly designed for toddlers. In NUMBERS and COLORS, the clear color photos are captioned with just one word for the color, or just the numeral and word for the number. In OUT TO PLAY and OFF TO BED, distinctive black and white photos have colored highlights, which grab your attention. The text is just a word per page captioning the colored portion of the photo - a bear, clock, cup, etc. Truly a standout series.
Bell, Cece. FOOD FRIENDS. ISBN 076362777-1.
BUSY BUDDIES. ISBN 076362776-3.
Candlewick, 2006. $5.99 each.
This pair of board books celebrates pairs - comb and brush, peanut butter and jelly, etc. Babies and toddlers will be able to recognize most of the pairs, and the very spare text just lists the pairs. There are a few dialogue balloons but they don't distract from the narrative. The cartoon illustrations set the brightly colored objects, which are outlined in ink, on white backgrounds. A clever and useful set of board books
Ziefert, Harriet. GO! ISBN 1-59354-138-4.
YUM! ISBN 1-59354-139-2.
Illus. by SAMi, "Flip-a Shape" series, Blue Apple/Chronicle Books, 2006. $8.95 each.
Die cut holes in the shapes being defined are the highlight of this series. For example, the reader sees an oval, then a submarine with the oval shape cut out of the page, then a helicopter on the next page with the same cut out oval. Another example shows a circle, then a pizza looking through the hole in the page, and once you turn the page you see an apple through the same hole. The items used to show the shapes are things toddlers see around their world, and the bold bright illustrations resemble those by Byron Barton.
Schofield, Jennifer. ANIMAL BABIES ON MOUNTAINS. ISBN 0-7534-5839-X.
ANIMAL BABIES IN DESERTS. ISBN 0-7534-5942-6.
ANIMAL BABIES IN SEAS. ISBN 0-7534-5945-0.
Kingfisher, 2005. $6.95 each.
Color photos of baby animals ask "Who is my mommy?" Turn the page to find the answer in this engaging book. Bears, a marmot, a gorilla, and other animals appear in the "mountains" version, a clown fish, dolphin, whale, sea otter, penguin, and sea lion are featured in "seas," and a camel, gerbil, oryx, ostrich, squirrel, and fennec fox appear in "deserts."
Barritt, Margaret. HICKORY DICKORY DOCK, illus. by Jacqueline East. ISBN 1-59354-153-8.
Herman, R.A. JACK AND JILL, illus. by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov. ISBN 1-59354-152-X.
"Nursery Play-Along Classic" series, Handprint Books, 2006. $7.95 each.
The text of the traditional rhyme runs along the top of the page, but another longer, original story runs along the bottom. In "Jack and Jill," the kids are fetching water for a bath. In "Hickory," the original story is a rhyme told from the mouse's point of view. At the back of each book is a diagram of how to do a fingerplay with the rhyme. The watercolor illustrations of these oversized board books are sweetly greeting card-like, but serve the story.
Ziefert, Harriet. BREAKFAST TIME! ISBN 1-59354-155-4.
GOOD MORNING, SUN! ISBN 1-59354-154-6.
Illus. by Lisa Campbell Ernst. "Learn to Turn" series, Blue Apple/Chronicle Books, 2006. $6.95 each.
Cut out tabs (like a dictionary) are staggered down each page to make them easier to turn in this series. A repetitive text and pastel watercolor and pencil illustrations seem well suited to toddlers. The bunny in blue footy pajamas that "stars" in this series would make a great stuffed animal.
Glaser, Higashi. HELLO KITTY HELLO SHAPES! Abrams, 2005. $6.95. ISBN 0-8109-5851-1.
The Japanese toy character Hello Kitty is shown with the basic shapes known to preschoolers. No story here, but fans may enjoy this.
Freeman, Don. CORDUROY'S SNOW DAY. Illus. by Lisa McCue. Viking, 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-670-06046-1.
Corduroy is joined by two stuffed animal friends in a day of outdoor play. They go sledding, build a snowman, and have a snowball fight. The full color illustrations are not as charming as Freeman's originals but will suffice.
Marciano, John Bemelmans. MADELINE LOVES ANIMALS. Viking, 2005. $8.99. ISBN 0-670-06021-6.
In each spread, a rhyming text and full color illustration show Madeline with a different animal - an elephant, some cats, and "a tiger in the zoo..." Fans of the series will best appreciate this board book, and Marciano's style does emulate his grandfather's original work.
Barad, Alexis. NO HONEY! Random House, 2006. $6.99. ISBN 0-7364-2284-6.
Part of the "Pooh Adoreables Hummables" series, these are designed for parents to "sing" the text. The rhyming text is servicable but doesn't really fit the "singing" concept. The full color illustrations give an airbrushed look, and don't resemble the original Pooh by Milne and Shepard.
Disney Enterprises. POOH SHAPES. Random House. $6.99. ISBN 0-7364-2376-1.
Part of the "Pooh Adoreables Thinkables" series, three wooden blocks are imbeded into the front cover. A circle, triangle, and square can be twisted and turned, and the three dimensional shapes will serve the kinetic learner. The story's text instructs the learner to find the same three shapes in the illustrations of the book. More useful than "No Honey!"
Hill, Eric. SPOT'S FIRST WALK. Putnam, 1981/2005. $6.99, ISBN 0-399-24482-4.
This sturdy board book with flaps should last longer than the original, which had a flimsy binding. Spot sees various garden items on his walk, and the brightly saturated colors are engaging.
DePaola, Tomie. TOMIE'S MOTHER GOOSE FLIES AGAIN. Putnam, 1985/2005. $7.99, ISBN 0-399-24466-2.
A mix of familiar and lesser known Mother Goose rhymes, song lyrics ("Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"), and poems ("Tweedledum...") are compiled into this board book best suited to older preschoolers. DePaola's signature illustrations will help children identify the unknown vocabulary words. This works better in the original picture book format.
Walsh, Ellen Stoll. MOUSE PAINT. Red Wagon/Harcourt, 1989/2005. $10.95, ISBN 0-15-205533-9.
A storytime favorite, three mice get into jars of primary color paint, and mix them to make the secondary colors. Actually bigger in size than the original picture book, this is unabridged and is a great replacement for the original.
Williams, Sue. LET'S GO VISITING. Illus. by Julie Vivas. Red Wagon/Harcourt, 1998/2005. $10.95/ISBN 0-15-205529-8.
Counting and color identification are part of this book that invites audience participation. The numerals are not included, only the word for the number, and the counting of animals only goes up to six. Still, the engaging watercolors on white backgrounds are inviting.
Schindel, John and Holt, Steven. BUSY PIGGIES. Tricycle Press, 2006. $6.95. ISBN 1-58246-169-4.
Close-up, well-focused color photos of farm pigs are shown kissing and squishing, lazing and gazing, etc. The photos have energy and the rhymes work well most of the time.
Barry, Frances. DUCKIE'S SPLASH. Candlewick, 2006. $5.99, ISBN 0-7636-2897-2.
"Duckie flies low and Owl flies high." Other opposites are demonstrated in this cartoon-style board book. In the final opening, the pages pop-up to show Ducky splashing into a pond. Toddlers will enjoy the repetition and humor.
Inns, Chris. PEEKABOO PUPPY AND OTHER PETS. Kingfisher, 2006. $5.95. ISBN 0-7534-5952-3.
Each opening has a riddle in verse, describing a pet and asking the child to guess the animal. Under a flap is the animal in question. The clues are clear, and the pets are common animals, so many toddlers will be able to guess correctly.
Rossetti-Shustak, Bernadette. I LOVE YOU THROUGH AND THROUGH. Illus. by Caroline Jayne Church. Cartwheel/Scholastic, 2005. $8.95, ISBN 0-439-67363-1.
There are many other books with the same theme of undying parental love, but this brief rhyming salute to a baby has humor and engaging illustrations. "I love your happy side , your sad side..." and other opposite pairings make up much of the text. The cartoons, in earthtone shades convey joy and fun.
Ziefert, Harriet. SWIM BUDDIES. Blue Apple/Chronicle Books, 2006. $8.95. ISBN 1-59354-133-3.
A sing-song rhyme about ocean creatures is serviceable, but the photo illustrations are the problem with this book. Instead of photos of real whales or fish, or artwork, inflatable pool toys of the creatures are used, photo-shopped onto painted backgrounds.
SAMi. WOOF-WOOF. A "Baby Flip-a Face" book. Blue Apple/Chronicle Books, 2006. $8.95, ISBN 1-59354-148-1.
Done in black, white, and bold red, drawings of a baby, pig, bird, goat, etc. are all the same size and show the figure facing forward. A hole cut out of the page gives the idea that each face is the same, no matter what species it is. Just odd.
