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
Story by Jon Klassen
Read by Fairuza Balk, Jon Klassen [Afterword]
Dreamscape | 22 mins. | Ages 6+ | AudioFile Earphones Award
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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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
Story by Estani Frizzell
Read by Estani Frizzell
Greenleaf Book Group | 8 mins. | Ages 6+
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
Story by Maryann Cocca-Leffler, Judith Heumann [note]
Read by Ali Stroker and Judith Heumann
Dreamscape | 31 mins. | Ages 6+
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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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 »
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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.
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