Audiobook Review: Splendors & Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz, narrated by Davina Porter

My thoughts after listening to this book: Wonderfully written (and very excellently narrated by Davina Porter), but way too long, especially given the nature of the book, and its unrelenting gloom. I have come to the conclusion that this is not a children's book: it is a book about children. The writing is beautiful and descriptive, but it took forever to get to the point (for a children's book.) This book seems to be more of an atmospheric character study, rather than plot-driven, which isn't bad for a book, but doesn't seem like a great idea for it's intended audience, 8-12 year olds. My two older daughters (ages 11 and 13) read it (or tried to, in the case of the 11 year old) before I did and were not impressed with the book.

Don't let my impressions stop you from reading it, or, better yet, listening to it. It may be right up your alley.

On the narrator, Davina Porter: I was so impressed with her narration. She did a superlative job with the characterizations, accents, everything. I will seek out more of her work.

Book and Audiobook Review of Bunnicula: A Rabbit-tale of Mystery by James and Deborah Howe; Audiobook Narrated by Victor Garber

Silliness abounds in this story that revolves around a vampiric bunny (who "bleeds" vegetables so dry they turn white) and the family dog and cat whose reception of said bunny is not exactly warm and fuzzy.
We read this book for a homeschool kid's book club that my girls have become involved with. We also listened to the audiobooks that were so wonderfully read by Victor Garber (who played Jack Bristow in Alias, Professor Callahan in Legally Blond, etc.) He has a beautifully rich voice that gives the perfect blend of hilarity and drama to the story.

Here is what my 8 year-old Olivia has to say:

This is my new favorite book, about a family who finds a bunny at a Dracula movie, of all places. Harold, the dog (who narrates the story) finds a note attached to the bunny written in an obscure Carpathian dialect, and because Harold is a Russian wolfhound, he can read it. Harold and Chester the cat get suspicious about the bunny, whom the family names Bunnicula.
I like it because the main characters are animals. It's sort of a mystery. It's interesting to read because the boys in the story argue like my sister and I do. And the cat is smart but crazy.

You can read more tales about Bunnicula, Harold, and Chester:
Howliday Inn
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
Nighty-Nightmare
Return to Howliday Inn
Bunnicula Strikes Again
Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allen Crow

Audiobook Review: Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry; narrated by Bernadette Dunne

 "A resilient and quirky colony of church mice fears another Great X more than they fear cats. Under Mouse Mistress Hildegarde’s leadership, they save themselves from one danger after another—sometimes just by the skin of their tails! Can one ultimate act of bravery during the feast day of St. Francis get Father Murphy to bless these mice and keep them safe forever? (Synopsis from Goodreads)

I didn't really think that my girls would be very interested in the story, but I figured I'd play the audiobook while I had them "trapped" in the car on a long drive to a family reunion site, because I really wanted to hear it. Boy, was I wrong about their reaction. There was not a peep from the older two, as they avidly listened, and they frantically shushed their three-year-old sister if she made a peep.
We had just finished the first disc (there are two) when we arrived at our destination. And for the next two days, they speculated back and forth about what would happen next. They even asked if they could go sit in the car to finish the rest of the story. But I made them wait until the trip home. We borrowed this from the library, but now my girls are hounding me to buy it. Oh, twist my arm, please!
A wonderful listening experience. Dunne's voicing of the characters was just perfect. She gave each their own distinct voice, matching the voice with their personality and age, in a manner that was never overly dramatic: just perfect.

Vacation highlights, coming home, and more audio book listening

We are finally home from our month-long vacation out west. We had fun visiting family, catching up on all the happenings in their lives. My girls thought they died and went to Heaven when we stayed with my sister and they got to play with their girl cousins all day long. I loved the time I got to spend with my best friend (my sister) despite the many interruptions from various quarters of life. And I'm grateful to my bro-in-law for putting up with the added estrogen factor. We stayed at my sister's house for the first half of our visit, and then went to my parent's house for the last half.
I took my computer along with every intention of blogging during that time, but it was never really convenient.
My parents recently emptied their storage unit that they had had during their decades in Africa, moving the contents to their new-ish home. It was fun unearthing some of the treasures that haven't seen the light of day in 30 plus years, and hearing the stories behind some of the items I didn't recognize. And the books! So many old friends that I wanted to browse through, but couldn't due to a too-full house. (Next time I'm staying in the guestroom with the bookshelves, Mom!) I spent hours going through old school papers they'd kept for me, tossing out most of them. It was a fun walk down memory lane.
My older brother and his family came from Louisiana for the reunion, and we got to spend quality time with them as well.
And I got to meet my new little nephew, and nominally help my younger brother and his family move to their new house.
So, all in all, fun times were had, but in the end I was very ready to come home. It's hard to be away from home and Todd for so long (his work load wouldn't permit a vacation at this time), and my girls, despite all the bontemps, were chomping at the bit to come home to Daddy.
The drive back was sooo not fun; my girls were fractious and antsy and not behaving well, despite the following audio books:

1. What Katy Did At School, written by Susan Coolidge, read by Laurel Lefkow, produced by Naxos AudioBooks. My girls were anxious to hear the next installment of the Katy series. This story follows the adventures of Katy and her next sister Clover as they navigate the world of boarding school.

2. Best Loved Stories in Song and Dance, told by Jim Weiss, produced by Greathall Productions. The stories on this disc are The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White and Rose Red.

3. The Mysterious Benedict Society, written by Trenton Lee Stewart, read by Del Roy, produced by Listening Library. I haven't read these books or heard much about them, other than one friend's recent recommendation, and so didn't know what to expect. I was hooked from the start. I loved this clever story and listened avidly. My girls, not so much. I'm not sure why, but they didn't follow the story very well, or listen very well. I think it was the anticipation of going home rather than the story itself. Now I'm dying to read the rest of the books, and see what other adventures the Mysterious Benedict Society has. Poor Grandma (my mom) was left hanging near the end, since we hadn't finished by the time we dropped her off in Nashville, and still had two hours left of the story. But we promised to buy her the books so she can find out what happens.
(I forgot to mention that the highlight of our drive, going and coming, was that my mom came with us. She flew to Nashville, where we picked her up, and she drove west with us. Then we did the same thing in reverse on the return trip. It was so wonderful having that time with her, since she had to work for most of our visit and wasn't able to spend a lot of time with us. It was fun listening to books with her.)

Long Road Trips + Great Audiobooks = Heaven

We have made the trip west to attend two family reunions this month, and made the decision to drive rather than fly, since we would need a car once we arrived at our destination anyway.
In anticipation of our trip (and out of abhorrence of plugging my girls into portable DVDs since I find it makes them horrible travellers), I purchased and rented a quantity of audio books for the trip.

Here is the line-up of our audio selections we've listened to so far. (We head east again tomorrow, so stay tuned for the going-east audio line-up.):

1. What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge, read by Laurel Lefkow, produced by Naxos AudioBooks. My girls loved this abridged story, about a girl named Katy Carr, the oldest girl in a widowed doctor's family of six, in the 1860s. Katy is tall and gangly and careless, and leads her siblings in all sorts of adventures, until tragedy strikes and she has to have her own adventure. Laurel Lefkow does such an amazingly superb job of reading. Her pacing and voicing are perfect.
(P.S. I love, love, love Naxos Audiobooks. Their audiobooks are consistently, wonderfully done. Their readers do such a superb job.)

2. Charlotte's Web by E.B White, read by the author. One of our very favorite stories about the loyal friendship between a pig and a spider. The audio left a lot to be desired, 'though. The author has quite a monotonous voice that doesn't do his wonderful story any favors.

3. Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater, read by Nick Sullivan, produced by Hachette Audio. A silly, fun and lively story of a house painter whose fascination with penguins causes a noted Antarctic explorer to send him a live penguin, which results in a few problems. The story is brought to life so well by Mr. Sullivan.

4. Sylvester, or The Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer, read by Richard Armitage, produced by Naxos AudioBooks. "When Sylvester, the Duke of Salford, first meets Phoebe Marlow, he finds her dull and insipid. She finds him insufferably arrogant. But when a series of unforeseen events leads them to be stranded together in a lonely country inn, they are both forced to reassess their hastily formed opinions, and begin a new-found liking and respect for each other. Sylvester calls to mind the satirical genius of a Jane Austen novel and is adored for its wit and a fast-paced plot that ranges across a myriad of settings." (From Naxos AudioBooks)
Richard Armitage reads this abridged book with panache and suavity, and real depth of feeling. He does such a superb job of voicing the various characters. (His voicing of Sir Nugent Fotherby especially had me in stitches.)

Jim Weiss, Storyteller and Recording Artist Extraordinaire - An Introduction

  If you've never heard of Jim Weiss, you're missing out on a marvelous experience. He is a storyteller - a master, award-winning storyteller, captivating audiences of all ages. If you think you're too old to listen to stories, hearing Jim Weiss tell a story will change your mind.

  This weekend, I had the privilege of sitting in four of the five presentations he gave at the 2011 MidSouth Homeschool Convention in Memphis. What a treat! I loved every minute of it. I learned tricks and tips about storytelling and reading aloud, like "Tell the stories you love. And don't think you have to be perfect at it. Through the telling of a story, your children will feel the love you have." I learned about the life and writings of G.K. Chesterton. I sat enthralled with my girls and husband, listening to stories about King Arthur; and we attended a storytelling workshop where the highlight was hearing Jim tell Aesop's fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. In every session he talked about the story behind the story, giving incredibly detailed highlights in such an interesting way. My older daughters talked of nothing but the experience the whole hour-long drive home.
 
  Jim Weiss grew up listening to his father and grandfather tell stories. His grandfather was the keeper of the family stories, and his father, a history and classical literature enthusiast, told Jim and his brother the stories from the books he'd read. And then he would point to the book, and say, "If you liked that story, you'll love the book."
  "It gave me the incentive to read books," Jim told me.
  As the years went by, Jim started telling his own stories, first to his young cousins, and then to his own daughter.
  In 1989, after years of telling stories for the fun of it, Jim and his wife Randy realized that all the classic stories were being hijacked by Hollywood, and a whole generation of children were growing up without truly knowing these great stories or their important messages to humanity.
  Because of their passion, they decided -in a bold, breathless move- to invest all their savings into starting Greathall Productions, to record the great stories of history, legend, and literature. They call it "Intelligent entertainment for the thinking family."TM

We had never heard of "a professional storyteller," did not know if there was an audience for what we were doing. We know only that the classics, from Aesop to Shakespeare, from Greek mythology to King Arthur through Dickens and Dumas, were often ignored or presented in a way that radically changed the original stories. We knew from experience, however, that a story well told would ignite a love of learning in a listener. Our goal then, as now, was to instill in children the lifelong love of great literature by telling the stories on a child's level without altering the authors' intent.

  And it paid off in a big way. Today, 23 years later, Jim Weiss' recordings have won more than 85 national awards, and gained a fan base from all around the world.
  They have MANY titles to choose from, ranging from folk tales (American Tall Tales, Animal Tales, Tell Me A Story!, Tales of Cultures Near And Far, etc.) to fairy tales (Fairy Tale Favorites In Story & Song, Giants! A Colossal Collection of Tales & Tunes, etc.) to Mythology (King Arthur And His Knights, Arabian Nights, Greek Myths, She and He: Adventures in Mythology, etc.) to adventure stories (The Three Musketeers/Robin Hood, etc.) to true stories of the great masters of art and science (Galileo and the Stargazers, Masters of the Renaissance: Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and More, etc.) to historical figures (Thomas Jefferson's America, Abraham Lincoln & the Heart of America, The Queen's Pirate: Elizabeth I and Sir Francis Drake, Julius Caesar and the Story of Rome, Gone West: Bold Adventures of American Explorers and Pioneers, etc.) to the works of famous authors and playwrights (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare for Children, Sherlock Holmes for Children, etc.)

 And, at the end of most of his recordings -in an echo of his father before him- he encourages his listeners to get the book and read the stories for themselves. 

Those of you who read this blog know by now how passionate I am about reading aloud, and how important I think it is for language development and for modeling the use of oral language, as well as creating motivation for children to read the stories for themselves. Storytelling, obviously, does that too. Plus, Jim Weiss explains, there is something magical that happens when a story is told - an energy, a bond is created between storyteller and listener. A storyteller gives the gift of him/herself in the telling.

I had so much fun meeting Jim and Randy Weiss this weekend. They are warm, gracious, personable, and funny. They gave everyone who stopped by their Greathall booth their personal attention. I watched them help people pick out the perfect CD for their family or special someone. In fact, they personally picked out and so generously donated 2 CDs for this special give-away.

For more information about them, and to see all their available stories and services, please visit the Greathall Productions website, and ask for a brochure. Jim and Randy also write a free monthly newsletter that you can sign up for that includes monthly sale specials, articles/stories by both Randy and Jim, and much more.

And now The GIVE-AWAY!

* This Give-Away is now CLOSED!

In the spirit of fostering that love of reading and learning, Jim and Randy Weiss have very generously provided me with 2 CDs to give to you, my readers, that they hand picked themselves, and that Jim autographed. Thank you so much, Jim and Randy, for being so generous to a humble beginning blogger.

The titles are:

• Tell Me A Story! A Treasury of Classics. Includes: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Bremen Town Musicians, Things Could Always Be Worse, The Hare and the Hedgehog, The Little Red Hen, Rumpelstiltskin, and Tell Me a Story. For ages 3 and up.

AND 

• Sherlock Holmes for Children. Includes: The Mazarin Stone, The adventure of the Speckled Band, The Musgrave Ritual, and The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle. For ages 7 and up.

Here's how it will work:

1. You MUST leave a comment telling me of your favorite storytelling or reading aloud memory/experience. PLEASE comment, even if you do not normally do so, because I want you to have a chance to hear Jim Weiss' marvelous stories. (But please note that comments without a favorite memory will not be entered in the drawing.)
2. There will be two drawings - one for each CD. Tell me in the comment which CD you prefer. If you don't have a preference, your name will be entered in both drawings for a chance to win either one. They are both wonderful!
3. You can only win one CD.
4. The comments for this giveaway will be open for one week. Comments will close at midnight (Central Standard Time) on March 13th, 2011. The winning comment will be announced on Monday morning. 
5. I'm sorry to have to restrict this, but the drawing is open to U.S. addresses only.
6. The winner must then contact me via e-mail, so I can get your name and address to send the CD on its way. You have up to three days to contact me after I announce the winners. If I don't hear from you, we will re-draw names.
7. Bonne chance!