Review: Deep in the Swamp

Deep in the Swamp is a musical picture book! This title is also a 2015 Audie nomination for the Children's Titles for Ages up to 8 category.

Author Donna M. Bateman used the familiar song Over in the Meadow and created a book focused on the Okefenokee Swamp located in Georgia and Florida. The story counts up to 10 and includes critters, creatures, flora, and fauna. I was familiar with a few things mentioned in the book, but definitely not everything! A couple verses sounded a bit Seussical to me because of my unfamiliarity with the nature in the Southern part of the United States. (I am from the northern part of the Midwest.) All in all it was a great singing story! It's simple tune could be followed by children (and adults). If they are familiar with the song, they can anticipate what's happening next. I appreciated the extra information at the end of the book, Swap Flora and Fauna Facts.

Live Oak Media and Tom Chapin created a beautiful audio CD to go along with the book. The CD has three tracks:

1 - Narration with page turn signals (including story, song, and back matter)
2 - Narration with no page turn signals (including story, song, and back matter)
3 - "Deep in the Swap" song

The page turn signal is not a beep or ding; it's the sound of a page being turned. The narration is playful and smooth. Chapin has a deep voice, but he's lighthearted as he reads the story. The timing is well done. It can be followed on the page or just enjoyed without the book. I greatly appreciated the back matter being narrated. Not every book includes the facts in the back. Knowing the story is also a song begs for it to be sung. The story is narrated, but the song is included which is so much fun! Live Oak Media also added layers of sound effects, music, and voice duplication. The sound effects and music underneath were very subtle and did not take away, but added to the book's ambiance of the swamp. The voice duplication is the layers of animal children when they reply to their parent. As the count goes up, so do the number of voices being heard. It was an unexpected and delightful element of the narration.

I would recommend this title to any elementary or pre-school child and family. It's a fun book packed in information about the Okefanokee swamp. It's also beautifully crafted with a talented narrator and layers of sound to tickle the ear.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details ...
Deep in the Swamp by Donna M. Bateman, illustrated by Brian Lies
Read by Tom Chapin
Produced by Live Oak Media
Number of Discs: 1
Total Time:  17 minutes, 12 seconds (track 1)
ISBN: 9781430114604   

Review: The Black Reckoning

The Books of Beginning trilogy has come to close with The Black Reckoning. I have been waiting on the edge of my seat for this title since The Fire Chronicle came out in 2012. If you are unfamiliar with The Books of Beginning series by John Stephens, please do not jump into book three without listening (or reading) The Emerald Atlas and The Fire Chronicle. Each book picks up the story after the other ends. Characters from previous books also return (or continue) their appearance(s) in book three.

It's such a fantastic story! It's a book that I don't want to describe; I just want other people to read it. Stephens takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster - sweet surprises, bitter ends, hilarious circumstances, and terrifying traps. One character described the adventures as a great swelling of the heart following by heartbreak and I can only agree. Their statement wrapped up the storyline so well. I laughed, I cried, I lived another life and visited a new place. Okay, a lot of new places. There is a quite a bit of traveling in each of these books. I would recommend The Black Reckoning to middlers, teens, and adults. It's so good! Well done storytelling, Mr. Stephens!

Jim Dale narrates The Black Reckoning as well as the previous titles. He is one of the top rated audiobook narrators. He's very consistent with his voices in this book as well as in the series. Dale shares believable emotions as well as male and female characters. Well done storytelling, Mr. Dale!

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
The Black Reckoning by John Stephens
Series: Book 3, The Books of Beginning
Read by Jim Dale
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 11
Total Time: 13 Hours
ISBN: 978030791517

P.S. Now that The Books of Beginning series is complete, what will John Stephens do next!?

Review: I Had a Favorite Dress

I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn

My first introduction to Boni Ashburn was through her books, Hush, Little Dragon and Over in the Castle. I think they are adorable stories! When I noticed her newest title, I Had a Favorite Hat, Ashburn's name caught my eye. I had no idea she had written this book! Upon looking up the hat book, I saw I had a Favorite Dress. It was originally published in 2011, but Dreamscape Media published an audiobook (and video) edition this year (2015).

I was looking forward to listening to I Had a Favorite Dress. I enjoyed Ashburn's previous books and the narrator, Bahni Turpin, is a familiar voice. Bahni Turpin narrated The Help (along with Jenna Lamia, Cassandra Campbell, and Octavia Spencer) and The Mighty Miss Malone which are both fantastic stories.

The story is fun and creative. The young lady in the story has a favorite dress that doesn't fit, so Mama found a solution: make a new clothing piece. As time goes by the favorite dress turns into a skirt, a scarf, and a bow (to name a few). It's a fun way to look at reusing something and being industrious. I also thought it was fun that the girl talked about her favorite day of the week, which always changed as the clothing changed.

Narrator, Bahni Turpin is talented. Her voice is youthful without being childish. It sounded like a natural fit for the story. Along with Turpin's narration Dreamscape added music and sound effects. The music was lovely guitar music. Only one sound effect stood out - a dog bark at the beginning. I listened to the audiobook without the book and if the reader has the book they can see that there is a pet dog in the story. (The pet dog does have a role later in the story.)

I would recommend listening and reading the book together. It can be enjoyed separately, but the final project is unknown if the book is read only as an audiobook. The girl in story turned her "scraps and bits" into "this." What was "this"? I'm glad I had the library book with me. "This" is a picture she created of her favorite dress - very clever but also confusing. I understand that words cannot be added to an unabridged recording or a published book, but it would have been helpful to readers.

I Had a Favorite Dress is a picture book. I think tots to early elementary students would enjoy this story. Different themes of this book include mother, daughter, clothing, sewing, art, and days of the week. I am intrigued to see if I Had a Favorite Hat  will also turned into an audiobook.

Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Dreamscape Media, LLC!

Audio Book Details...
I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn
Read by Bahni Turpin
Produced by Dreamscape Media, LLC
Number of Discs: 1
Total Time: 8 minutes
ISBN: 9781633797888

Hello, SYNC!

I'm so happy to share that SYNC has returned for another great summer of audiobooks to share! Prepare for a fantastic assortment of free audiobooks. Each week from May 7th to August 13th, SYNC offers two different audiobooks to download. One is a YA title and the other is a classical (or required reading) title. Stop by SYNC to see the full list of audiobooks available this summer.

A couple of books I'm looking forward to hearing this summer are COURAGE HAS NO COLOR: THE TRUE STORY OF THE TRIPLE NICKLES by Tanya Lee Stone (Brilliance Audio) and CROWS & CARDS by Joseph Helgerson (Brilliance Audio). Ironically both of these titles are from Brilliance Audio, but many great publishers have shared amazing books at SYNC. There is something for everyone! You can download one or all 28 audiobooks over the next 14 weeks.

What titles are you looking forward to hearing this summer?

Review: Mr. Kiss and Tell

Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas

Are you a V Mars follower? If so, this is the latest installment in the Veronica Mars / Neptune saga. If not, you need to start at the beginning with the original TV series.

Mr. Kiss and Tell picks up after book one, The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, which in turn picks up after the V Mars movie. Mr. Kiss and Tell continues story lines from the movie as well as the previous book. Characters from the original TV series also make an appearance. The new mystery of Mr. Kiss and Tell wraps up with plenty of surprises. (I was gasping like a fish out of water at a couple points during the novel.)

It was so exciting to hear more about V Mars and the city of Neptune. I don't want to give any tidbits away, but it was an excellent read. Others might have a different experience but I label myself as a Marshmallow. I was disappointed in some of the language. They added in curse/swear words. I'd rather not have those in the books I hear or read. It's also a graphic story, so I would not recommend it to younger readers.

Kristin Bell read book one, but Rebecca Lowman is the narrator for book two. I was hoping Kristin Bell would return to read, but alas, no. I did enjoy Lowman's reading of the story. She was genuine and believable. I would listen to her again.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Review: Nuts to You

Nuts to You by Lynne Rae Perkins


Hello, anthropomorphism. We meet again.


Nuts to You is a story of four squirrels. One squirrel gets removed from his grove and his friends go in search of him. Along the way, they meet other squirrels and become friends as well as squirrel rescuers. They need to move their grove to a new grove because humans are clearing the the forest away from the electrical lines. It's a story about friendship, travel, stories, and conservation.

The story was okay for me. (Your experience can be totally different!) What threw me off the most was the beginning author's note, where a squirrel approached the author to eat part of her sandwich and then share his story. It wasn't until I had the book in my hand that I saw there was an ending author's note to finish the beginning squirrel/human dialogue. I didn't hear the second author's note title, so it ran together with the story at the end. That was very confusing to me.

I think beginning chapter readers and animal lovers will enjoy this book. The story would be a good one for family car trips. The actually book has illustrations throughout with wide set lines in short chapters. I didn't know about all the illustrations when I listened to the audiobook and I understood the story just fine without any of the artwork.

Even though this story didn't peak my interest, the narration was great! I liked listening to Jessica Almasy. I've heard her read West of the Moon, Twelve Kinds of Ice, and Operation Yes. Her voice is youthful and energetic. It was also good to hear the squirrel names rather than reading them. Just to name a few names - TsTs, Chrika, and Tsam. Those names would stump me if I has reading it myself. There is another female voice that assists with technical information on the discs (end of disc one, etc). Recorded Books also prints the track number with the chapters on the disc. I think that's a nice touch for readers, especially for readers who follow along with the book as they listen to the audiobook.

Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Recorded Books!

Audio Book Details...
Nuts to You by Lynne Rae Perkins
Read by Jessica Almasy
Produced by Recorded Books
Number of Discs: 3
Total Time: 2.75 hours
ISBN: 9781490651224

Review: Timeless Tales of Beatrix Potter: Peter Rabbit and Friends

Timeless Tales of Beatrix Potter: Peter Rabbit and Friends is a collection of short stories and nursery rhymes. This title is also a 2015 Audie nomination in the Children’s Titles for Ages up to 8 category Here is a list of the titles included on the audiobook:

—"The Tale of Peter Rabbit"
—"The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin"
—"The Tailor of Gloucester"
—"The Tale of Benjamin Bunny"
—"The Tale of Two Bad Mice"
—"The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle"
—"The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher"








—"The Tale of Tom Kitten"
—"The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck"

—"The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies"
—"The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse"
—"The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes"
—"The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse"
—"The Tale of Mr. Tod"
—"The Tale of Pigling Bland"
—"The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding"
—"The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan"
—"The Tale of Ginger and Pickles"
—"The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit"
—"The Story of Miss Moppet"
—"Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes"
—"Cecily Parseley's Nursery Rhymes"

The audiobook I checked out from the library did not include a book with it BUT Tantor Media includes a PDF eBook on disc one! I think that detail is fantastic.

Katherine Kellgren narrates Peter Rabbit and Friends. I adore listening to Kellgren and the stories she narrates. She brings so much life to each audiobook! Peter Rabbit and Friends was no exception. Beatrix Potter was a British children's author and Kellgren with her British accent is a perfect fit. She brings classical stories to a new generation of listeners.

I grew up with a one book collection of Beatrix Potter stories. When I listened to this audio collection, it brought back fond memories of paging through the book. It was so easy for me to bring Potter's illustrations to mind. It was also fascinating to hear how all the stories were connected to each other. I never realized that most of her characters either are in multiple stories or are referenced in other stories. Potter created her own little animal village. These tales are so charming!

Listening to them one after another was a bit tedious for me. By disc three, I was ready to pull the plug on my player but I was so close to the end that I just finished. I think a short musical interlude between stories would have been lovely touch, but one story just followed another.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
Timeless Tales of Beatrix Potter: Peter Rabbit and Friends by Beatrix Potter
Read by Katherine Kellgren
Produced by Tantor Audio
Number of Discs: 3
Total Time: 3.5 hours
ISBN: 9781494500009

Review: Looking at Lincoln

Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman


Abraham Lincoln is a familiar face because his profile can be seen on U.S. currency. But Lincoln is also a familiar name because he was our 16th president. Beyond his face and name, who was he? What did he do? Where did he grow up? Author Maira Kalman shares a picture book full of historical tidbits about Abraham Lincoln.

Kalman begins with someone recognizing Lincoln then going to the library to discover more about him. The information in the book follows Lincoln's life from his birth in Kentucky to his death at the theater. It's a very compact biography with lots of wonderful highlights. Elementary students reading (or listening) to biographies would enjoy this one.

I listened to the audiobook without paging through the picture book biography. The story flows well without the need for the book, but the book is a fine addition if listeners want to follow along with the CD. It's a very artistic book with illustrations done in gouache. The book also includes additional notes about the facts used in the book as well as sources.

Elizabeth Cottle reads Looking at Lincoln. I enjoyed listening to her voice and appreciated her pacing of the book. The pace was slow enough to contemplate the facts and fast enough to not grow bored with the story. As I stated previously, this would be a good match for elementary students.

Dreamscape added music at the beginning, end, and for a short part during the last third of the book (a dramatic part, talking about the Civil War). The music was well suited to the story - strings, drums, and horns. (If my listening skills are off, fellow listeners, please let me know.) Other sound effects were added throughout the story to highlight different moments - a gunshot, outdoor nature sounds, the "traditional" shh at the library. I don't think the sound effects took away from the storyline. They fit in well and you could hear the the narrator during the sound effects and over the music.

Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Dreamscape Media, LLC!


Audio Book Details...
Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman
Read by Elizabeth Cottle
Produced by Dreamscape Media, LLC
Number of Discs: 1
Total Time: 10 minutes
ISBN: 9781633796140

Review: The Drop Box

The Drop Box: How 500 Abandoned Babies, an Act of Compassion, and a Movie Changed My Life Forever by Brian Ivie


I heard about The Drop Box film from a local radio station, WEMI. They advertised it's short showing at area movie theaters: March 3-5, 2015. I also had some Facebook friends talking about going to see the movie. I was intrigued, but put it on the back burner with the thought, "It will be out on DVD soon." And now I am waiting for it to be available...

Exciting news for those who are waiting along with me, Brian Ivie (with Ted Kluck) wrote a book about his experience filming The Drop Box. It's an autobiography on how his trip to South Korea changed his life and led him to see the need for a Savior and become authentic. He writes about his childhood and his love of films. He started creating movies with his neighbors, friends, and family. Brian also watched hours and hours of movies. At the beginning of each chapter, he includes a film quote. The quotes are from a wide range of films - very impressive. I've heard and seen some of the movies he quotes, but not all of them.

The Drop Box book focuses on the journey of making The Drop Box movie, but also on Brian's life - his childhood, his films, his relationships, and his faith journey. It's a great faith story. I originally thought the book would be closer to my pledge of Read It 1st when I found out the movie also had a book, but I found it to be a companion piece to the movie. I believe readers can enjoy the book before or after viewing the film. The audience for the book is primarily adults from young adults to seniors. Brian was in college when he filmed The Drop Box.

ReadIt1st via kwout

Brandon Batchelar narrates The Drop Box book. His tenor voice suited the story very well. He sounded sincere and believable sharing someone else's story. I would listen to another recording by Batchelar. The recording was breathy. The listener can hear him take a breath during the reading, but it did not take away from the story.

My copy of the audiobook was a digital download. It downloaded in 21 parts - an image of the cover, a pdf of bonus materials, and 19 mp3 files. Eighteen of the files were the unabridged story of  The Drop Box and one audio file was a sample. Oasis Audio also shares a sample on their website. The bonus materials came on one pdf file with ten pages. The pdf shares additional material including acknowledgements, the filming crew, Kindred Image information, and notes. I thought bonus materials added to the audiobook. I always appreciate seeing the names of people (or characters) involved in stories. I'm not a good speller and if I want to share names it is difficult if I don't have the book as well as the audiobook. Thank you, Oasis Audio!

Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Oasis Audio!

Additional information about The Drop Box and Brian Ivie can be found here ...

http://arbellastudios.com/
http://www.thedropboxfilm.com/
http://kindredimage.org/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/btivie/the-drop-box

 ---

Audio Book Details...
The Drop Box : How 500 Abandoned Babies, an Act of Compassion, and a Movie Changed My Life Forever by Brian Ivie and Ted Kluck Read
Read by Brandon Batchelar
Produced by Oasis Audio
Number of Discs: MP3 download (19 parts) [4 CDs]
Total Time: 4.25 Hours
ISBN: 9781613756881
Released: March 2015

Review: The Terrible Two

The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John


Miles moves to a new town - Yawnee Valley. He is unimpressed with the new town that is known for their cows. Miles plans to be known as the prankster at his new school, Yawnee Valley Science and Letters Academy, as he begins his school day. Unfortunately, he is greeted by one of the greatest pranks he's ever seen - the principal's car blocking the front door to school! Before he knows it, Principal Barkin is accusing Miles of this prank and Miles is introduced to Niles, the school helper.

Authors Mac Barnett and Jory John have created a fun new book for older elementary and middle school students. It's been said that there will be more books to follow, but The Terrible Two is a great standalone book. It's a great book of humor and friendship. The characters can be extreme, like Principal Barkin being upset and red-faced most of the book, but it works! I can see readers loving this story. I think parents would be amused as well if families wanted to listen together during a car ride.

The book is illustrated by Kevin Cornell, but when you listen to the audiobook the only illustrations are in your imagination. I did not feel cheated by not seeing the illustrations.

Adam Verner narrated The Terrible Two. This is the first audiobook I've heard him read. It was well done. The characters were different and I think they're personalities showed through the voices he created. One character in particular got under my skin - Stuart. He liked to shout about the happenings in the story, so his voice needed to be "shouty." Stuart was definitely shouty ... and annoying. Currently, Stuart is a minor character, so I could live with his maddening voice. If the series continues, I hope Mr. Verner returns to narrate the rest of the Terrible Two saga.

Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Blackstone Audio!

Audio Book Details...
The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John
Series: Book 1, The Terrible Two
Read by Adam Verner
Produced by Blackstone Audio
Number of Discs: MP3 download (38 parts)
Total Time: 3.4 Hours
ISBN: 9781481515290