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    The Children's Book Review

    Five Exciting and Thoughtful Audiobooks for Young listeners

    AudioFileBy AudioFile5 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Ages 9-12 Audiobooks Best Kids Stories Book Lists
    Five Exciting and Thoughtful Audiobooks for Young listeners
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    The Best New Audiobooks for Young Listeners, Selected by AudioFile Magazine for The Children’s Book Review.

    The Best New Audiobooks for Young Listeners

    Young listeners will find exciting and thoughtful audiobooks to enjoy as they head back to school this September. Read on to hear more about how professional narrations, music, and sound effects make picture books and a much-loved graphic memoir come to life on audio.

    The Skull- A Tyrolean Folktale: Audiobook Cover

    The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale

    Story by Jon Klassen

    Read by Fairuza Balk, Jon Klassen [Afterword]

    Dreamscape | 22 mins. | Ages 6+ | AudioFile Earphones Award

    Listen to a Sample

    Fairuza Balk expertly differentiates the characters in this retelling of a mysterious Tyrolean folktale. Balk captures Otilla’s youth and curiosity, and her courage becomes clear when she meets the other character in this story, a skull. Balk’s noble tone and accent fit him, and the way she expresses his approachability transforms him into a friend. When a skeleton hunts the skull, Balk makes its menace evident, but calm and clever Otilla is full of aplomb. The use of music and sound effects—heavy, regal strains, along with a whistling wind and a crackling fire—befit the setting and story. Review »

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    EL DEAFO Audiobook Cover

    El Deafo

    Story by Cece Bell

    Read by Sarah Tubert, Lexi Finigan, Jennifer Aquino, Fred Berman, Bailey Carr, Nicky Endres, Matt Godfrey, Avi Roque, and Sanya Simmons

    Listening Library | 2.5 hrs. | Ages 6+

    Listen to a Sample

    A full cast performs Cece Bell’s graphic memoir for kids. After losing her hearing during a childhood illness, Cece starts school with special earphones that are attached to a large box around her neck. With her box, she navigates making friends and working hard in her classes. The sound production of the audiobook imitates what Cece hears through her hearing aid, illustrating the different kinds of sounds she experiences. With the vibrant performances of the cast and the careful attention to production, this audiobook is sure to engage listeners, young and old. Review »

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    THE UNIQUE BEAK: Audiobook Cover

    The Unique Beak

    Story by Estani Frizzell

    Read by Estani Frizzell

    Greenleaf Book Group | 8 mins. | Ages 6+

    Listen to a Sample

    Estani Frizzell deftly introduces poor Sai, a young peacock who has an ungainly beak and a terrible singing voice. Sai goes off by himself after the other peacocks, including his family, insult him about his voice. Lovely background music by Grecco Buratto and the author/narrator’s poetic descriptions superbly convey the local crickets, who enjoy singing and joyfully dance to Sai’s music. After that, Sai decides to follow his dream and keeps on singing. Listeners of all ages, particularly the young, will find encouragement in this sensitively narrated tale. Review »

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    FIGHTING FOR YES The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann: Audiobook Cover

    Fighting For Yes! The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann

    Story by Maryann Cocca-Leffler, Judith Heumann [note]

    Read by Ali Stroker and Judith Heumann

    Dreamscape | 31 mins. | Ages 6+

    Listen to a Sample

    The late Judith Heumann, who used a wheelchair all her life, narrates her own note to listeners in this brief account of her youth and early disability-rights activism. Ali Stroker delivers the story itself, which begins with Heumann’s education, a time that is marked by humiliation and opposition at nearly every turn. This fuels the anger and determination that lead to Heumann’s role in protests supporting a 1977 federal law prohibiting discrimination against disabled people. Stirring music combines with sound effects to underscore Stroker’s firm, decisive delivery. Review »

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    BIG TREE: Audiobook Cover

    Big Tree

    Story by Brian Selznick

    Read by Meryl Streep

    Scholastic Audiobooks | 2.5 hrs. | Ages 6+

    Listen to a Sample

    Multiple Oscar winner Meryl Streep brings vocal star power to this tale of two prehistoric sycamore seeds. When a dinosaur’s jostle casts Merwin and Louise’s seedpod loose from Mama, it sends them on an odyssey through several Cretaceous biomes. Their search for a place to grow is furthered by agents ranging from a lacewing named Spot to a T. rex. It’s both an adventure and a meditation on time, given texture by Streep, whose distinct characterizations pop against her soothing narration. The audiobook’s consistent seed’s-eye view lends it a beguiling intimacy. Review »

    Buy the Audiobook
    Audible
    Libro.fm
    Barnes and Noble

    Looking for more audiobook recommendations? Visit AudioFile’s website to sign up for our newsletters, where we feature narrator and author interviews, audiobook reviews, and more.

    This list of audiobooks was curated by AudioFile. AudioFile is an independent source of audiobook reviews and recommendations with a clear focus on the performance and listening experience. AudioFile Earphones Awards are given to exceptional audiobooks. To learn more, visit audiofilemagazine.com, Twitter @AudioFileMag, Facebook @audiofilemagazine, and Instagram @AudioFileBehindTheMicPodcast.

    For more articles like Five Exciting and Thoughtful Audiobooks for Young listeners, follow along with The Children’s Book Review’s content tagged with Audiobooks and AudioFile.

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

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    Ali Stroker Audiobooks AudioFile AudioFile Earphones Award Avi Roque Bailey Carr Brian Selznick Cece Bell Dreamscape Estani Frizzell Fairuza Balk Fred Berman Greenleaf Book Group Jennifer Aquino Jon Klassen Judith Heumann Lexi Finigan Listening Library Maryann Cocca-Leffler Matt Godfrey Meryl Streep Nicky Endres Sanya Simmons Sarah Tubert Scholastic Audiobooks
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    AudioFile is an independent source of audiobook reviews and recommendations with a clear focus on the performance and listening experience. AudioFile Earphones Awards are given to exceptional audiobooks. To learn more, visit audiofilemagazine.com, Twitter @AudioFileMag, and Facebook @audiofilemagazine.

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