Leap into Audiobooks: Carnival of Children's Literature

Leap day is a great day to jump into audiobooks! If you haven’t listened to an audiobook lately, you are missing out on a great way to experience stories through the audio medium. The growing popularity of books on CD & downloaded MP3 offers literature lovers a whole new appreciation of the author’s voice, through the talents of gifted narrators. To sample the very best from 2007, give a listen to any of the first recipients of ALA’s newest literary award: The Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production. I’ve posted earlier on Jazz, the first Odyssey winner.

But for a true Carnival mood, give a listen to Dooby Dooby Moo from Weston Woods, a 2008 Odyssey Honor title. If you are a fan of Farmer Brown’s barnyard menagerie, you simply must get your hands on the entire series in audiobook form, beginning with Click Clack Moo. Musician Randy Travis narrates the series with banjo in hand and tongue firmly planted in his cheek. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Dooby Dooby Moo which features that dastardly Duck rocking out in his talent show performance of “Born to be Wild” or the soothing new-age soundscape of “When Pigs Fly.” Weston Woods has also released DVDs of the series narrated by Travis – sample a clip of Click Clack Moo here. Hear how humor jumps from the page through the sound of a masterful audio production.