HappyGrace Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Especially for my younger-he won't be able to sit through long narrative passages, so I'm looking for something with decent sentence structure (for my older) but that moves along with some action (for my younger). He sat through and loved the My Father's Dragon series and we just read "Sign of the Beaver" and that went well too. I know he'll tune out though if the passages are long and boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 What about the Chronicles of Narnia? The Hobbit? Anything by Edith Nesbit.:001_smile: Dh is reading Treasure Island right now and my boys are eating it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaneNickerson Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Nice choices. :) We also like Mary Poppins, The Borrowers, The Secret Garden, BFG, and Wind in the Willows. The children enjoy narrated and/or dramatized novels on CD. After we have read or listened to the book I try to find a video at the library. I will follow this thread myself for new books to read. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deana FL Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 These have been wonderful for my kids. I'm surprised at how long they'll listen and then beg for more. We've listened to Cricket in Times Square, Narnia's Prince Caspian, Voyage of the Dawn treader, The Bronze Bow, The Sign of the Beaver and several others. The reader's voice makes all the difference when listening to books...that's why I don't read to them long novels. I'd lose their interest too quickly and the car is just the perfect place for them to zone. My favorite in the above list is the Cricket in Times Square..the reader was amazing at character voices! Highly recommended! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I recommend Half Magic, by Edward Eager (it has follow-ups, but we have not read them yet). My kids also liked Kenny and the Dragon, a retelling of The Reluctant Dragon set in an animal village, by Tony DiTerlizzi. After we read Kenny and the Dragon, in which The Reluctant Dragon is mentioned, we listened to TRD and the kids were thrilled to find that Kenny and the dragon (whose name is Grahame) were named after the author of TRD, Kenneth Grahame. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumtoboys Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Just William - loved this as a kid! Anything by Geraldine McCaughrean 3 Musketeers Anything in Wordworth childrens classics series - especially tales of Shakespeare, Arabian Nights http://www.wordsworthclassics.com/wordsworth/wordsworth.aspx?id=childrens Robin Hood - any good version (I like Antonia Fraser) Classic Myths to Read Aloud - William Russell Farmer Boy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Trumpet of the Swan. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 how do I find versions that are good? I'd like to order some of the titles mentioned from my library, but I have no idea how to do so-do I just pick one and hope it's read by an excellent narrator? And do I look for unabridged or what? :confused: I do think audiobooks would be a great way to go with this-more enjoyable for them, and it would be sure it gets read to them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deana FL Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I search my library's catalog online before I go in there. This way I know what I'm looking for or if it's even available at our branch. I don't usually get the "abridged" versions, unless it's dramatized. And as far as the readers go, I've just kind of done the hit and miss thing. It's always an adjustment when you're so used to hearing one and switch to another. My kids will usually let me know if the narrator is driving them batty...I try to keep my mouth closed until I hear them complain. Try to give the reader at least 2 chapters before giving up on them...some just take time to get used to. Also, check the recording date...this could give you an indication of the type of narrator and the quality of the recording. A side note...my children and I LOVE listening to Focus on the Family's Adventures in Odyssey. This is totally dramatized stories of Biblical moral and character lessons. I think my children were so used to hearing these, that when I put in audio books, their imaginations were already trained to go into action. hope this helps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I also want to suggest Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt. It's the story of an ex-pirate trying to find his new place in life, and it has captivated my kids. We read it and they liked it so much we got it on cd. They listen to it several times a week. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaneNickerson Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Here is what I do with ds9 and ds7. (dd10 tags along now :)) Our evening read aloud is The Secret Garden and I read the unabridged version. Our library had an audio, but when I listened to it I found it was abridged and dramatized. So I read a few chapters in the evening and the next day I give them pictures from online or Dover coloring books to work on while they listen to the audio. BUT I always turn it off where I stopped reading the night before. ds9 "Oh, COME on!! It was just getting good." I say "You will just have to wait until I read tonight." :) The best of both worlds. The pure literature without being "brought down" to their level and dramatic sound effects and accents. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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