Music Review: Can You Canoe?

Have you heard of the Okee Dokee Brothers? My brother told me that his family loved their music. He shared that they were funny and their music was linked to real life adventures. I stored the information away and after another visit with his family we watched some of the Okee Dokee Brothers DVD segments. After paying attention and really listening to their adventures and songs, I fell in love with this creative duo.

Can You Canoe? is the first Okee Dokee Brothers CD. Their second CD is Through the Woods and their third one album, Saddle Up, is coming out in May 2016. (I cannot wait to hear it!) This album features songs from their 30-day trip on the great Mississippi River. It also won a Grammy in 2013 for Best Children's Album!

This is a great CD for background listening or on the go in the car with your family.  The songs range from quiet and calm to clapping and tapping out some dance steps. The song writers Justin Lansing and Joe Mailander wrote every song on the CD. The album insert is a small booklet with little paragraphs about each song and the story behind it. Also included in the case is a DVD with videos they filmed along their journey. You can get a preview of their songs as well as their videos on their website. Below is the track list and a few notes from me. The italicized tracks were some of my favorites from Can You Canoe?

Track List --
1. Can You Canoe?
2. Haul Away Joe (with Garth Hudson)*
3. Mr. and Mrs. Sippy - a silly spelling song for Mississippi
4. The Bullfrog Opera (with Morgan Taylor)** - very mellow and dreamy like calm song
5. Rosita - a mosquito song!
6. Campin' Tent - a camping song
7. Memphis Town - a train song
8. Along for the Ride (with Rachel Loshak)** - mellow out and float along the river
9. Muddy River
10. The Boatman's Dance - pairs well with track 2 Haul Away Joe
11. King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Moe-O - mellow out and sway with the stream
12. Thousand Star Hotel - calm down and sleep
13. Brother - upbeat and let it roll!
14. Small and Simple (with Elizabeth Mitchell)*** - calm down and sleep
15. Roll on River (with Garth Hudson)*

*Garth Hudson from The Band
**Morgan Taylor and Rachel Loshak from Gustafer Yellowgold
***Elizabeth Mitchell from You Are My Flower

Reviewed from a personal copy.

Album: Can You Canoe?
Artist: The Okee Dokee Brothers
Label: Okee Dokee Music
Genre: Folk / Americana / Kindie / Family
Length: 38:22
Release Date: May 15, 2012

Five Years of Audiobooks

Adolescent Audio Adventures began on February 25, 2011. I cannot believe it's been five years since I started reviewing audiobooks here. My goal was to share my joy of audiobooks with others who enjoy listening to books. I keep finding more and more titles I want to consume. It's great! If you're interested in my past year listens the titles are below.

In the meantime, it's time for some change!

This new year I'm going to add more audio adventures to Adolescent Audio Adventures. I am going to share music reviews! As an assistant children's librarian, I have access to some fantastic music for children and families. I use a variety of music during my library programs, but I also enjoy listening to music as I go about my day. The reviews will be a wide range of storytime music to background music. Again, my goal is to share my joy of children's music with others.

It's time to take stock of all the books I heard over the past year. Let's break it down...

Juvenile Fiction [estimated trt: 4 days, 1 minute] 
Nooks & Crannies
Ship of Dolls
Shingaling
Pluto
Crenshaw
The Case of the Missing Moonstone
The Terrible Two Get Worse
The Adventures of Bella and Harry
Billy and Goat at the State Fair
Westly: A Spider's Tale
Switch
Catch You Later, Traitor
The Graveyard Book - Full Cast
Mystery of the Midnight Rider
Strangers on a Train
Curse of the Arctic Star
What I Learned from a Penguin
Ms. Rapscott's Girls
H.O.R.S.E.
Deep in the Swamp
The Black Reckoning
I had a Favorite Dress
Nuts to You
Timeless Tales of Beatrix Potter - Peter Rabbit and Friends
Looking at Lincoln
The Terrible Two
Ben Franklin's Big Splash
The Julian Chapter


Young Adult [trt: 2 days, 15 hours, 23 minutes]
From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess
Island of Graves
A Whole New World - A Twisted Tale
Ana of California
The Zoo at the Edge of the World
Galgorithm
Island of Shipwrecks
Island of Legends


Adult [trt: 1 day, 13 hours, 53 minutes]
Safe House
Prairie Home Companion 40th Anniversary Collection
I Will
Love in Every Stitch
Answers to Your Questions about Heaven
Gettysburg Address & Emancipation Proclamation
Mr. Kiss and Tell
The Drop Box



44 books (and over 168 hours) were counted in this year's review.  So far that's the most titles I've heard in a year (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Wow! What a fantastic year! Thank you to my local libraries, Audiobook Jukebox, christianaudio, and Oasis Audio. Without their generosity, I would not have had access to all the wonderful books I've heard last year.

I'm looking forward to another great year of listening! Some titles I cannot wait to hear are Unwanteds #7 - Island of Dragons, Five Kingdoms #4 - Death Weavers, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #6, Dolls of Hope, Audies 2016 finalists for Young Listeners and Middle Grade, as well as the titles available this summer at Audiobook SYNC.

What audiobook or audiobooks are you looking forward to hearing in 2016?

Review: Crenshaw

I picked up Crenshaw because I enjoyed Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan. I didn’t even bother to read the back cover summary. The cover looked sweet and magical. I’m always up for a fantasy story!

Applegate did not create a fantasy story. She wrote realistic fiction with an imaginary friend. (Thank you for the Harvey quote at the beginning of the book!) It is a story about one family's struggle with homelessness. A story that I did not expect, but one that truly is an eye opener into another person's world. I felt like I was walking in someone else's shoes as I listened to Jackson and his descriptions of his life. Crenshaw is his imaginary friend that appeared when he was needed. The cat brought humor, companionship, council, and frustration to Jackson. Crenshaw showed that everyone needs a friend, even if it is imaginary.

Hello, again, Mr. Kirby Heyborne! I’ve enjoyed several of Heyborne’s book narrations. This is another great listen. His voice was believable for 4th grader Jackson. He also added different vocal variations for the other characters in Crenshaw.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Read by Kirbey Heyborne
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 3
Total Time: 3 Hours, 18 Minutes
Release Date: September 2015
ISBN: 9780399564642

Review: The Case of the Missing Moonstone

History and humor and math, oh my! What a fantastic read! I could also add mystery, science, and inventions to the list of themes in the first installment of The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency. English majors will be delighted with The Case of the Missing Moonstone.

I started laughing at track one and ended the story with a chuckle. Mr. Stratford put together a very clever story about a clever girl, Lady Ada Byron, and the people who surrounded her, Mary Godwin, Peebs, Charles, Mr. Babbage and more. He took some creative liberties, but tied true characters together to create a wonderful, historical mystery that will capture the attention of all ages. I am looking forward to book two, The Case of the Girl in Grey, which is coming out in 2016. This book is also a great read for readers who are waiting for the next installment of Maryrose Wood’s Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place.

Nicola Barber narrated The Case of the Missing Moonstone. I haven't heard her narrate before, but I have put a number of her audiobook titles on my to-be-read shelf without realizing it (until today). I believe Ms. Barber captured the story very well. It's a book that needs an authentic English voice and she hits the spot. Every once in a while I didn't know if Ada or Mary were talking, but soon their personalities of the characters shone through the narrative. I am excited to see that Barber will be back to read book two!

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
The Case of the Missing Moonstone by Jordan Stratford
Series: Book 1, The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency
Read by Nicola Barber
Produced by HighBridge Audio
Number of Discs: 3
Total Time: 3 Hours, 32 Minutes
Release Date: January 2015
ISBN: 9781622314249

Audies 2016

Are you familiar with the Audies? The Audies are awards given by the Audio Publishers Association, or the APA. Audiobooks from over 20 different categories are narrowed down to a short list of finalists. The 2016 finalists were announced today! It was very exciting to follow #Audies2016 on Twitter. The winners will be announced at the Gala on May 11, 2016.

Since Adolescent Audio Adventures primarily focuses on listens for younger readers here are the nominations for Young Listeners, Middle Grade, and Young Adult. For a complete listing of the 2016 Audie finalists, check out the Audio Publishers Association press release.

Review: The Terrible Two Get Worse

The Terrible Two are back in The Terrible Two Get Worse! I would highly recommend listening to The Terrible Two before reading The Terrible Two Get Worse. It's a fantastic followup to Niles' and Miles' pranks at their school in Yawnee Valley.

Niles and Miles are on a role at pranking, but one prank goes too far. Their principal has been replaced. Something needs to be done!

The themes of humor and friendship run strong in this second Terrible tale. I think readers of book one will definitely enjoy book two. Niles and Miles prank well together and challenge each other. They also learn consequences together and working with others. I am intrigued to see if more titles will be coming in this series. This is a great follow-up book and wraps up well if this is the end of the series.

Adam Verner returns to narrate The Terrible Two Get Worse! Again, well done on sharing the story. The character voices were maintained from book one to book two. Stuart still got under my skill, but his character was well maintained. Great job, Mr. Verner!

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

Audio Book Details...
The Terrible Two Get Worse by Mac Barnett and Jory John
Series: Book 2, The Terrible Two
Read by Adam Verner
Produced by Blackstone Audio
Number of Discs: MP3 download (25 parts)
Total Time: 3 Hours, 32 Minutes
ISBN: 9781504661935

Review: Island of Graves

Island of Graves by Lisa McMann is book six in the Unwanteds series. It's an excellent fantasy series! I would HIGHLY recommend listening from the beginning if this is your first introduction to the Unwanteds series.

I wait at the edge of my seat for each new installment of the Unwanteds. The newest book, Island of Graves, did not disappoint. The pirates have taken Aaron away and left him for dead. Alex wants to go after him to help save Artime and Quill. The entire island is in jeopardy.  If you're looking for magic and battles and missions. This is an excellent book. I don't want to give too many details away!  The plot twists were so surprising. The end of the book had me gripping my steering wheel the whole drive home from work. The story wraps up well, but McMann included an epilogue... I cannot wait for April 2016! Island of Dragons is coming.

Steve West returns to narrate book six. Huzzah! The familiar characters were all recognizable and the new characters were just as strong and distinctive. Simon & Schuster did have another narrate share the end of the disc news. She had a lovely voice, but it was slightly startling to go from story with Steve to a pleasant, elevator voice telling you that you need to switch discs. With a single disc player, this information is helpful, but on a multi-disc player it's a distraction.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
Island of Graves by Lisa McMann
Series: Book 6, The Unwanteds
Read by Steve West
Produced by Simon & Schustler Audio
Number of Discs: 9
Total Time: 11 hours 11 minutes
ISBN: 9781442388857

Review: The Adventures of Bella & Harry, Vol. 1

The Adventures of Bella and Harry is a picture book series about two chihuahuas that travel around the world with their family. Volume one is an audiobook that includes three of the book titles: Let's Visit Paris!, Let's Visit London!, and Christmas in New York City! 

The books briefly cover top tourist spots in Paris, London, and NYC. NYC features Christmas highlights, while the others are general highlights. Bella does most of the talking while Harry chimes in with a question or two. The books share a food item or two that is country specific. There is also a short dictionary of foreign words. I appreciated the audiobook for the dictionary section, because it is better to hear a foreign language rather than trying to read it.

Gabrielle de Cuir narrated all three titles in The Adventures of Bella & Harry, Vol. 1. I was impressed with her wide array of accents and tones. She was also energetic throughout each book. I would listen to her again in another Bella and Harry book.

In addition to a fun narration, the producers also added music and sound effects. The music was added as a highlight. The music also had the flavor of the country they were visiting. The sound effects were nicely placed throughout each story. My favorite sound effect was the running, cartoon scramble when Bella was looking for Harry at a museum. It was the perfect touch. I also appreciated the photo shutter sound when Bella shared different landmarks at the end of the book. Since I didn't have a physical book, I could see a photo album being created in my mind. Well done!

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

Audio Book Details...

The Adventures of Bella & Harry, Vol. 1: Let’s Visit Paris!, Let’s Visit London!, and Christmas in New York City! by Lisa Manzione
Series: The Adventures of Bella & Harry
Read by Gabrielle de Cuir
Produced by Skyboat Media
Number of Discs: MP3 download (3 parts)
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Release Date: October 6, 2015
ISBN: 9781504668071

Review: Safe House

Safe House was a very meaty audiobook to hear and digest. I listened in lengthy chunks, then set it aside to reflect on the material Straub presented. Each chapter does include questions to reflect upon. It’s an excellent book to read in a book club, with a spouse, or other parents/safe house members.

Straub outlines his book well. He begins with the parent(s) and their own story (history). He gives the space to reflect on the past and see how it can be a part of their future or their children’s futures. He goes onto explain the characteristics of a safe house: explore, protect, grace, and truth. The house analogy was easy to picture in my mind and I think other listeners can connect well with the analogy as well. He finishes his book with reflective materials on faith and marriage.

Yes, this is a parenting book, but Straub went beyond new or young parents. He includes seasoned parents and to be parents. He includes single parents and parent supporters (grandparents, friends, family members). In addition, he talks about marriage and the partnership or team that marriage creates. A husband and wife team needs to be together in their parenting and in support of each other.

Mike Chamberlain narrated Joshua Straub’s book. Chamberlain has a straightforward and friendly voice, well suited for this non-fiction book. He was expressive throughout each chapter and never over the top. This is the second time I’ve heard Chamberlain narrate a book and I would listen to him again.

I received this audiobook for free from christianaudio for this review.

Audio Book Details...
Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids who Live, Love, and Lead Well by Joshua Straub
Read by Mike Chamberlain
Produced by christianaudio.com
Number of Discs: MP3 download (12 parts)
Total Time: 9 hours, 1 minute
Release Date: October 27, 2015
ISBN: 9781633894679

Review: Billy and Goat at the State Fair

Dan Yaccarino shares two new characters - Billy and Goat. Billy is a young boy and his friend, Goat, who is an actual goat. Goat is outgoing and looks for adventures. Billy is more reserved. Together they balance each other out and have fun adventures together. Billy and Goat visit the state fair first to win a blue ribbon then to have a fantastic time exploring the fair. After reading Billy and Goat at the Stat Fair, I wonder if this new duo will appear in other adventurous tales together.

Billy and Goat at the State Fair is a children's picture book. I read the book before listening to the story. The book was fun with wonderfully bright illustrations. I listened to the audiobook without the picture book in front of me. The book as well as the audiobook stand alone very well. If readers want to follow along with the story, it would be an excellent pairing, too. Dreamscape Media does not add page signals to the story, but the pauses between sentence and phrases are well placed. Dreamscape Media also adds music and sound effects underneath the story. Their audio is crafted very well. The music is fun and upbeat with a little country flavor. The sound effects were subtle, but cleverly places. Goat bleats every once in while, but not overwhelming. Well done, Dreamscape!

Kirby Heyborne narrates Billy and Goat at the State Fair. Upon my first listen of the audiobook, I thought the pace was so s...l...o...w. On the second listen, I had to shake my head. This is a fantastic pace for a book! Children who are beginning readers or learning to read need an even and slow pace to follow along or read with the narrator. As an adult, I'm accustomed to a faster pace and I've also learnedthe skills of listening and reading. Children are constantly learning and having a faster pace doesn't allow them time to comprehend what is happening around them. To sum it all up, excellent pace Mr. Heyborne. It captured the story and the listener was able to follow along with a book or create a picture in their imagination.

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

Audio Book Details...
Billy and Goat at the State Fair by Dan Yaccarino
Read by Kirby Heyborne
Produced by Dreamscape Media, LLC
Number of Discs: 1
Total Time: 7 minutes
ISBN: 9781681411576