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Just Listening: Audiobooks
By Kathryn Shepler
Aurora School, Oakland

Boyce, Frank Cottrell. Framed. Harper Children’s Audio, 2006, 6 CDs unabr., 7 hrs. Grades 5-8. $25.95, ISBN 978-0-06-114043-3. Performed by Jason Hughes.

Dylan is the only boy in his small Welsh town. Along with his sassy older sister, they concoct a scheme to rescue the family business by taking advantage of the owners of a caravan of cars and trucks that line through town headed for the abandoned mines in the mountains. Dylan is laugh out loud funny as he raises chickens named after Mutant Ninja Turtles, invents new money-making schemes for the family gas station, learns about famous paintings from the National Gallery and slowly learns to appreciate others in his town. Jason Hughes is absolutely perfect in this sparkling narration. His voice is a joy to listen to with perfect regional accents. Enjoy one of the best audio books of the year – listen to “Framed”.

Fletcher, Susan. Alphabet of Dreams. Listening Library, 2006, 8 CDs unabr., 9 hrs., 20 min. Grades 6-up. $50, ISBN 0-7393-35-49-9. Performed by Meera Simhan.

Mitra is protecting her little brother Babak by hiding and pretending to be a boy herself. Set in ancient Persia, Babak has the ability to sense others dreams if an article of their clothing is next to his skin and is sought out by others for his gift. The two youths are pursued by “the Eyes and the Ears” of the King Phraates and by a powerful magus. When the magus is joined by two others on a trek to Bethlehem, the setting for the story becomes startling clear. Simhan gives a fine voice to this narrative; soft and sibilant, she evokes a sense of atmosphere that adds to this story. Listeners will enjoy this combination of fantasy and well-researched historical fiction.

Reissues Worth Revisiting

Capote, Truman. A Christmas Memory. Illus. by Beth Peck. Knopf, 1956/1989/2006. With CD narrated by Celeste Holm. $17.95, ISBN 0-375-83789-2.

Capote’s picaresque short story will appeal to the same readers as Patricia MacLachlan’s Sarah Plain and Tall (Harper, 1985), and other historical novels, and the Christmas setting make this a great family readaloud (or listening experience). The autobiographical story is about young Buddy, who lives with his elderly cousin in the country, where they make fruitcake, chop down an evergreen, and put up with disapproving relatives and the Great Depression. Peck’s watercolor illustrations lend a tone of humor, and set the story in the same era as TV’s The Waltons. Holm’s narration is outstanding; very conversational with just the right inflection of a Southern accent and with excellent pacing. A very nice edition.

Fatio, Louise. The Happy Lion Roars. Illus. by Roger Duvoisin. Knopf, 1957/1985/2006. $15.95, ISBN 978-0-375-83887-3.

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, this sequel to The Happy Lion is back in print. Written and illustrated by married couple Fatio and Duvoisin, this new edition is unchanged from the classic – complete with the alternating color and b&w spreads. The story concerns the Happy Lion being sad; we find out he is lonely and wants to meet the lady lion from a new circus in town. The b&w pages are often too dark, but the alternating pages that contain orange, yellow, and ink are lively. Some parents will be concerned about the scenes where people are looking for the lady lion, because some of the people are carrying rifles.

Titus, Eve. Anatole. Illus. by Paul Galdone. Knopf, 1956/1984/2006. $14.95, ISBN 978-0-375-83901-6.
Titus, Eve. Anatole and the Cat. Illus. by Paul Galdone. Knopf, 1957/1985/2006. $14.95, ISBN 978-0-375-83902-3.

Also celebrating 50 years are these two reissues about Anatole, the French mouse. Both earned Galdone Caldecott Honors. In the first book, Anatole is distressed when he hears that humans don’t like mice, so he finds a “job” in a cheese factory as a taster. In the sequel, a cat in the cheese factory scares off Anatole, until he can figure out a way to bell the cat. Both stories are still relevant, and could even inspire kids to try some new types of cheeses. The illustrations alternate from b&w spreads, to spreads with red and blue washes on the ink sketches. These also hold up to the test of time; in fact, some kids may see a resemblance between Anatole and the mice in Disney’s “Cinderella.”

Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials Book 1. Knopf, 1995/2006. $22.95, ISBN 978-0-375-83830-9.

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, this new edition of the first book in Pullman’s popular fantasy trilogy does not contain a revised text. But the new jacket illustration, a map of the constellations, make it look less like a children’s book than the old illustration of Lyra, the young girl protagonist. This may make it more appealing to adults, now that it has been turned into a play and will soon be a movie. This new edition also includes an appendix of “Lord Asriel’s Papers;” this fictional journal facsimile features notes and drawings relating to the story. Not an essential purchase, but a good replacement copy.

Merrill, Jean. The Toothpaste Millionaire. Bank Street/Houghton Mifflin, 2006/1972. $16.00, ISBN 978-0-618-75924-8.

For its 35th anniversary, a new edition of The Toothpaste Millionaire is being released. The format is a little smaller than the original; the new edition looks more like a chapter book, and the original was an inch taller and two inches wider, looking more like a transitional book. The original had color illustrations, the new edition features the same illustrations but they are printed in b&w. The text is also from the original. Only the jacket art is new, featuring Rufus, Hector, and Kate (the narrator). The last few pages on the new edition features discussion questions suitable for a book club; in fact, the book would be great for a kids’ book discussion group because of the plot, themes, and the inclusion of math as a main component of the story. The characters do a lot of math in calculating what to charge for the toothpaste, how much profit they are making, etc. The book begins with Kath explaining how she and Rufus became friends: “I’ll tell you how Rufus and I got to be such good friends, since I’m white and he’s black, and this seems to surprise some people.” That may sound dated, but if readers know this was set 35 years ago, it may seem logical, plus there are still many cities where it may seem unusual for a this friendship to occur. A very accessible book for grades 3-6, this will be great if you need replacement copies.