Books on Tape

There is something magical about books on tape when you are tired and you don't want to read aloud any more. Not that books on tape should ever completely replace reading aloud to your children—there is something important in them hearing you read, hearing where you mess up, hearing your inflections, hearing where you laugh, everything—but listening to a book on tape can be a wonderful exercise and experience too.

Some of my favorite series are narrated beautifully.

The Penderwicks—by Jeanne Birdsall.

I love the woman who narrates these books. The third book is a good read, but particularly girly and a little long winded. I can hang in there and read the whole thing and my older girls can, but there's no way my seven-year-old or five-year-old boy could. But our entire family can listen to all three books on tape again and again and again (and again).

The Freddy books by Walter R. Brooks. I love this narrator. I love these books, and the way this narrator reads them—hysterical. You will all be laughing like crazy. (Freddy is a pig, by the way, but a very, very intelligent one that EVERYBODY will love.)

This same narrator (I know, I should know his name, but I don't) also narrates the Mysterious Benedict Society Books. And does a brilliant job with one of my absolute favorite series.

I also adore the narrator of the first Casson family books by Hilary McKay. Saffy's Angel, probably in my top five favorite books of all time. The actress who reads this book is the same actress who plays Lydia in the six hour version of Pride and Prejudice (with Collin Firth). She is also the voice of the main chicken in Chicken Run. She is brilliant.

And one more hysterical, like wipe your eyes a million times because you are laughing so hard, audio book. Hank the Cowdog. The author, John Erickson, narrates these books, and it is about the funniest thing you've ever heard. I love these books, by the way, though there is absolutely no point to them whatsoever. They remind me of the time Sam got something stuck in his eye, and in an attempt to get it out (and in a total panic), he picked up a glass of water and tried to give his eye a drink. This was because I told him to flush his eye out with water. But eyes don't drink out of cups, he sadly learned. This is an absolutely pointless story, but I can laugh and laugh and laugh every time I think of it. Hank the Cowdog is the same way.

What are some of your favorite audio books?