Hear yea! Hear yea!

A well told story is worth listening to regardless of the age level it was written for.

I’m talking about audio-books and what a boon they are.  Besides making long road trips to and from Saskatchewan fly by, they have definite advantages for students who struggle with reading.

Whether students are learning a second language or struggling with their first one, having students following along with books in-hand, listening at the same time, will garner results.

Several good reading strategy books also suggest that listening to good, fluent reading with proper pronunciation of words and following rules of grammar are more beneficial than having struggling readers read-aloud to each other.

So, with summer road trips nigh to commence (and to help avoid the reading slump), here are some of my favorite books on CD to take along:

Because of Winn-Dixie (by Kate DiCamillo), read by Cherry Jones. (823 D547B CD)

Bucking the Sarge (by Christopher Paul Curtis), read by Michael Boatman

Bud, not Buddy (by Christopher Paul Curtis), read by James Avery. (823 C941B CD)

Elijah of Buxton (by Christopher Paul Curtis), read by Mirron Willis. (823 C941E CD).

The Watsons’ Go To Birminghan, 1963 (by Christopher Paul Curtis), read by LeVar Burton. (823 C941W 1996 CD)

(You might have guessed that I really like Christopher Paul Curtis’ stories. They have such likable characters with strong voices that make them easy to engage with. And then, to boot, the readers of the audio versions are all fantastic, too.)

Love that Dog (by Sharon Creech), read by Scott Wolf. (823 C8616L CD)

Knucklehead : tall tales and mostly true stories about growing up Scieszka (by Jon Scieszka) read by the author. (823 SCI27ZK 2008 CD)

The House of the Scorpion (by Nancy Farmer), read by Raul Esparza. (823 F2294H 2008 CD)

Ender’s Game (by Orson Scott Card), read by Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison & cast. (823 C178E 2994 CD)

Hana’s Suitcase : a Documentary (produced by Karen Levine), told by Fumiko Ishioka and George Brady. (940.5318 LeHa 2004 CD)

Most of these are appropriate for ages 8-12 with the exception of Bucking the Sarge, Ender's Game and The House of the Scorpion which I would recommend for ages 12 and up.   Hana's Suitcase for ages 10 and up.  All are great for adults, too, as my partner, Bob (a non-children's literature aficionado) can attest.