Summer Travel: Road Trip Listening

Summer is my most favorite season and in no small part because of the wonderful travel opportunities that the season presents. What better time to hop in the car, pile your bags and maybe the kids in, and hit the open road? You road trip may be a short day trip, or perhaps you are driving cross-country, you might even be lucky enough to have an RV which means you can drive indefinitely! Driving for long hours isn't your cup of tea? Well, this is also a great season to catch a flight to an exciting destination or even jump aboard a ship. This month is full of travel for me as I'll be spending time hiking in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee this week, then baking in the desert heat of Las Vegas later this month! Reading and listening materials are always a necessity and I'm sure to put these items on my packing checklist when I travel. Last year I recommended some wonderful audiobook choices for you to take on your adventures. This year I'd like to expand my recommendations list to include great music and book choices for the family. Read on to see my favorites!

Audiobooks/ Playways:
MATILDA; by Roald Dahl; Narrated by Kate Winslet; Penguin Audio. 5 hrs. (2014 Audie Award Finalist). Ages 8-12. 

Image from http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/80802/.

A longtime favorite of mine and many other children who were charmed by Matilda's story at a young age, this wonderful audiobook is brought to life thanks to the voice acting talents of the lovely Kate Winslet. Fans of the book will adore the lively recording, and newcomers to the story will be swept away with this charming tale.


In addition to Matilda, there are many other awesome Roald Dahl stories narrated by some of my favorite actors and actresses that are available for check out at the library, such as The Fantastic Mr. Fox. You can see the famous faces who narrate the audiobooks and listen to excerpts at bookriot.com!


NELSON MANDELA'S FAVORITE AFRICAN FOLKTALES; by Nelson Mandela (editor). Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Matt Damon and Alan Rickman and others. Hatchette Audio. 3 hrs and 45 mins. Ages 8-12. (2010 Audie Audiobook of the Year Award Winner).

Image fromhttp://www.hachettebookgroup.com/

In an effort to raise money for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and Artists for New South Africa, 23 narrators, most of which are famous actors and actresses ranging from Samuel L. Jackson to Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) himself, recorded African Folktales chosen by Mandela for this special recording. The narrators all do an amazing job performing their respective stories and parents and older children may have fun trying to guess who the narrator is. You will get to enjoy traditional African music along with these folktales as an added bonus. A great choice for adults and children alike, though 8-12 may appreciate the traditional folktales more than younger listeners. You can listen to audio excerpts from various stories, read performer bios and even download free

ELEANOR & PARK; by Rainbow Rowell; Narrated by Rebecca Lowman and Sunil Malhotra; Listening Library. 9 hrs. Ages 13 and up.
Teens, tweens and parents alike will be able to enjoy this audiobook telling the smart, romantic and sometimes heart-wrenching story of high school students Eleanor and Park. The tale is told conversely through each character's perspective and listeners will experience each of their unique narratives distinctly through the great performances from the voice actors.

Print Books:

CAN I PLAY TOO? : AN ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE BOOK; by Mo Willems. Hyperion Books for Children, 2010. Ages 5 and up.

School-age children of all ages (and their parents) will likely find something to giggle over in this delightful addition to Willems’ Elephant and Piggie books. When a small snake wriggles over to play with Elephant and Piggie, they must figure out how to incorporate their armless friend into their game of catch. A great read when grumpy and tired kids might need a little humor to break up a long day.

MOUSE’S FIRST SUMMER; By Lauren Thompson. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2004. Ages 3 and up.

In this adorable and simple picture book, Mouse and his friend Minka enjoy all of the fun that summer has to offer such as munching on watermelon at a picnic and watching fireworks at the park. Young children will enjoy answering the questions posed in this story, like the sentence “What’s this for?” floating around the tail of a kite flying high.

EXTRAORDINARY WARREN: A SUPER CHICKEN; by Sarah Dillard. Aladdin, 2014. Ages 7-12.

This graphic novel is a great choice for middle grade readers who are looking for a silly, not-too-serious tale to entertain themselves this summer. You will read the story of a young chicken named Warren and a hungry, devious rat named Millard looking for a chicken dinner. There are plenty of laughs along the way as Millard tries to trick the chicks into coming to his “special” barbeque.   The illustrations are brightly colored and the book’s structure falls somewhere between picture book and graphic novel with sparse panels and large full-page illustrations amongst the text. A particularly helpful quality if your young reader is new to the world of graphic novels.

Film poster image from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582846/.

 

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS; by John Greene. Ages 13 and older.

A love story between two teenagers struggling to cope with their terminal conditions, this book will make you weep, smile and everything in between. This summer’s film adaptation of this amazing young adult novel is sure to spark interest in the book with teens as well as adults. One of my most favorite novels read in recent memory and a guaranteed page-turner.

Music:

KOO KOO KANGA ROO: RAD-TROSPECTIVE; by Koo Koo Kanga Roo. Uniroo Records. 2014.

Image from http://kookookangaroo.com.

If you are afraid of falling asleep on your family road trip, just pop this CD into your player and you will be wide awake! These high energy pop tunes are perfect for little ones who want to be active during their music listening, or for older kids who enjoy fast paced silly tunes. With family friendly that invite movement, try "Shake Yo' Foot" or "Wiggle It" (both of which are preschool storytime favorites!). Other great tracks include the adorable "Cat Party" and the hip-hop influenced "Baby Crocodile Uhh". This CD is guaranteed to be a new favorite. 



TUMBLEBEE; by Laura Veirs. Raven Marching Band Records. 2012.

Prefer something a bit more quiet and a little less high energy? I highly recommend listening to Veirs' album Tumblebee. Beautiful folk songs for children comprise this album by established adult musician Veirs who has shared the stage with the likes of Neko Case and The Decemberists. Filled with banjo, fiddle and Veir's rich voice this is sure to please Americana and folk music fans as well as youngsters that enjoy softer tunes.


I hope that you have some ideas for new listening and reading materials to take with you on your road trip! What is your favorite travel book or music CD? Don't forget, you can count audiobooks towards your summer reading hours!

Wed Wednesday - Hit the Dusty Trail

Happy summer vacation!  We hope your summer has started off well and we would love to hear what you have planned. We have gathered some resources to help entertain your young travelers during any road trips you will take this summer.  Hopefully some of these resources will help quiet them from asking "Are we there yet?" at least once, and save your sanity.

If you are looking for road trip games and printables to take with you we recommend TLC's Parentables site.   My Delicious Ambiguity's collection of sites mostly come from Family Fun magazine's site, but it is nice to have them all in one place.  Family Fun Education always does a nice job rounding up quality resources, and their road trip games are no different..

For help packing a road trip busy bag, look no further than Polkadot Prints.  For help placating other passengers on a train or plane with sweet treats, help putting together activity bags during the trip for your wee ones, knowing what treats to pack for car snacking, or bribing your kids with snack packs for accomplishing car activities, this site has it all.  Polka-Dotty Place also has a great visual and packing list for help packing up a travel busy bag. Not surprisingly, Martha Stewart's site offers a beautiful slide show for suggested summer travel activities.

 

http://www.thegingerbreadblog.com/2012/07/5-things-tuesday-creative-road-trip.html

Before you leave the house, there are some great games from Scholastic to help you read up on any travel destination.  Global Trek allows you to plan a virtual trip around the world right from your computer.  You can look into the timeline of a country from the selected list, learn about the people who live there, and get some background information on the country's history.  You can also create an electronic travel journal to keep track of your own trips and travel experiences.  If you are traveling throughout the states, 50 states has gathered a ton of information on each state.  If you would rather search by popular topics, such as state birds or songs, the sites has an option for that as well.
  You can also stop by the library for help finding books related to your travel destinations. 

Safe travels this summer!

Road Trip Season

Summer is just around the corner! There are so many great things to love about summer- ice cream, swimming, barefeet and toasty days spent at the pool. One of my most favorite summer activities though is taking road trips! Whether you are trekking cross country for a family vacation or piling into the van for a weekend adventure, audiobooks and Playaways are great routes for fitting in some reading fun! Audiobooks allow the whole family to listen to a story together while Playaways are good choices for families that need a little reading independence while in the car.
Check out some of my recommendations for spectacular summer listening on your trip.

Ages 8 and younger:

THE GREAT CAKE MYSTERY by Alexander McCall Smith

Read by Adjoa Andoh (Listening Library) 1 hr. 
     The heroine of Alexander McCall Smith’s popular series becomes accessible to the younger set with this charming story which won the 2013 Audies Award for children's titles up to age 8. Precious Ramotswe dreamed of becoming a detective when she was a child, and her sharp sleuthing skills are clear in this story of her first case. Adjoa Andoh brings Precious, and the land of Botswana, to life with her entertaining narration. At only an hour long, a great little mystery for younger children who may not be able to sit through a long narration. 


KNUFFLE BUNNY by Mo Willems 

Read by Mo Willems, Cheryl Willems, Trixie Willems (Weston Woods) 7 min.
      A 2007 Audies Award winner and one of my favorite picture books, this is a wonderful choice for youngsters. As she walks down the sidewalk with her dad past the park and school and into the Laundromat where they load the family's dirty clothes into the machine, Trixie doesn't miss a thing. Her father does, and therein comes the fun. Audio doesn’t get more authentic than having the real-life characters themselves narrate their own story. Just as her character does in the book, toddler Trixie Willems’s voice steals the show from her parents. Children and parents will love hearing the real-life family dynamic unfold in this short audio and want to listen over and over.

AMELIA BEDELIA: Audio Collection Volume 2 by Peggy Parish

Read by Suzanne Toren. (Harper Children's Audio) 1.5 hrs. 
      This Playaway audio is perfect for kindergarteners and grade school students who want to enjoy some silly laughs independently. Amelia gets into her usual mixed-up antics in this collection of 6 stories. Especially perfect for the summer months is Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping. Amelia has never been camping in the great outdoors before and she's trying her best to do exactly as she's told, but pitching a tent is not the same as throwing it into the bushes! Kids will love the messes she gets herself into on this camping adventure.


Ages 8-12:

SAME SUN HERE by Silas House, Neela Vaswani 

Read by Silas House, Neela Vaswan (Brilliance Audio/ Candlewick) 6 hrs.                           
      This author narrated audiobook won the 2013 Audies Award for excellence in audiobooks for children ages 8-12. Silas House portrays River, a Kentucky coal miner's son, and Neela Vaswani portrays Meena, an immigrant girl from India who is living in New York's Chinatown. The two children become pen pals who write actual paper letters because Meena has access to email only through her local library's computers. They discover common ground and relate to each other on their problems and experiences, realizing that although they live in very different parts of the world, they are friends under the very same sun.


THE FREEDOM MAZE by Delia Sherman

Read by Robin Miles (Listening Library) 8.5 hrs. 
      A 2013 Audies Award Finalist, this story blends historical fiction with the fantastical as you are transported to the antebellum South with 13-year old Sophie. Spending the summer at her grandmother's house on a former sugarcane plantation, Sophie is searching for an adventure. She soon finds herself transported into the past, into a time of slavery, racism and struggle. Sophie meets many characters in this new time and place, some who will be helpful and others who will hinder her as she grows and learns from her experiences in this time-travel story. 


THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ by L. Frank Baum

Read by Brooke Shields (Listening Library) 4.5 hrs.
      All ages will enjoy listening to this classic story! Dorothy thinks that she is lost forever when a horrifying tornado crashes through Kansas, whisking her and her canine companion, Toto, far away to the magical land of Oz. She meets some friends along the way and together they embark on an enchanting adventure. A great choice for children who may not have been exposed to the original stories but are familiar with the various film adaptations. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is also available on a Playaway for more independent listening!




Don't forget that this week is the first week you can come in and sign up for our summer reading program! When you sign up you will receive a cool backpack full of all the materials you need to read towards awesome prizes this summer. Time spent listening to audiobooks and Playaways counts towards prizes too! Summer reading at the Grafton-Midview Public Library runs from June 10th through July 20th. Happy travels and I hope you enjoy some of these road trip friendly audio choices!