Books on tape

[zonapellucida]

The library has novels and classics on tape. Has anyoen used these? Did you have the children actively listen or did you play them as background for art or something similar? We usually play different composers, Tribal music, ect in during school time. I am wondering if speaking woudl make it difficult to focus for them..... Lots of questions! So glad I have you all

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[UlrikeDG]

My 7 year old, especially, LOVES books on CD! He's listened to the 1st three Harry Potter books, and is requesting that we get them again from the library. He loves his Chronicles of Narnia CDs (we have the radio dramas, not audiobooks). He also has Magic Treehouse books 1-16 on CD (these are very inexpensive on Amazon or BN.com).

He and my 5 year old daughter both love listening to Jim Weiss story CDs. http://www.greathall.com/home.html

They listen to them in the car on long trips (head phones) and at bedtime on nights when I can't read to them (i.e., when the 2 year old is having a hard time getting to sleep, and it's already late). Roman all but locked himself in his room to listen to the Harry Potter books from beginning to end. He usually plays with Legos or toy knights or something while listening.

My 2 year old still prefers music CDs to stories.

[fromscatteredtribe]

my MIL will check out favorites of my children and read them into her computer's microphone and burn CDs for them of stories they like. The youngest two just like hearing the voices and the oldest two really listen and feel special. sometimes she will sing or include some of the boys' recordings they have made in past visits. we live thousands of miles from her so it is really nice

[oldermamato5]

Hi! I have a 13 yr. old dyslexic son who loves books on tape. I think he has listened to every tape at our small town library,and anxiously awaits new titles.
My dd is right now listening to Little House On the Prairie.

[Dar]

Rain used to love listening to books/stories on tape/CD while playing... sort of as background. Jim Weiss was a favorite for a long time. She's more into music now, although we both listened to a lot of books and stories on tape during our recent cross-country move.

Dar

[USAmma]

My dd enjoys Charlotte's Web, which we have on CD for her. She started using a lot of big words after listening to it several times over. She doesn't fall asleep easily, never has. This is one of the things she's allowed to do in bed with lights off.

[carrots]

My kids love books on tape. They too are allowed to listen to them after lights off. Right now they are listening to Pippi Longstocking. I really don't think that alot of people even *know* about books on tape. I am always singing the praises of the library and books on tape and in my experience, people are always surprised. I would love more recommendations

[Mamax3]

DS is getting a treasure chest full of Jim Weiss narrating stories on CD. DS is 8 and we just discovered the books on tape/CD at the library. WE LOVE THEM.

My kids also love Shel Silverstein poetry on CD.

[TEAK's Mom]

My 3.5 year old absolutely adores books on tape and cd. She used to really enjoy shorteer books meant for kids her age. Recently, she has really gotten into novels. She reads very well, but she still sometimes likes to play and listen at the same time. They are a goddess-send on long car rides.

[Linda on the move]

My kids love them in the car

[SeekingSimplicity]

We also listen to books on CD in the car. We just finished Judy Moody and my kids loved it!

[Marsupialmom]

When we have done family listenings calm playing is allowed. When it is their own book on tape I don't care. I wouldn't force them to sit still if I was reading the book, much less listing to them on tape.

[beanma]

i've thought about getting some books on tape for awhile, but dd1 is very sensititve and doesn't like anything remotely scary or too dramatic. i saw our toy store had the jim weiss uncle wiggly cd and i couldn't remember the stories well enough to make a confident purchase. can anybody give me a review? any scary parts? we do havetwo spanish cds that dd1 loves, "fun spanish for kids" and "magic spanish for kids".

[ErikaDP]

We love books on tape! We listen to all kinds of stories, in the car and at home. And we prefer the unabridged versions of books so that if we get impatient listening, we can read ahead
Some of our favorites:
The Harry Potter Series
The Magic Treehouse Series
The Redwall Series
The Series of Unfortunate Events Books
The Artemis Fowl Series
The Midnight for Charlie Bone Series
The Gregor the Overlander Series
The Bunnicula Series
The Golden Compass Series
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Lord of the Rings
Eragon and Eldest
There are many more, this is just a small list.

ETA:Most of the above titles would not be appropriate for very sensitive listeners/readers. Most have scary parts/situations.

Take Care,
Erika :
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail..."
"Knowledge without compassion is useless"-SCW
"I am learning all the time, the tombstone will be my diploma"- Eartha Kitt

[SagMom]

My dd doesn't like books on tape, or being read aloud to. She used to, but once she was able to read on her own, she discovered that she couldn't concentrate on audiobooks in the same way she could if she was reading them herself. (I'm the same way--dh keeps trying to read me article in the paper and I hear the words, but just can't retain them the same as if I was reading it myself.)

My ds's love books on tape though. My oldest prefers them over reading. He'll often build with Legos or work on some project while listening. My youngest would NEVER sit still for a story, so he'll do gymnastics or build, or do an art project or just basically jump around while listening.

[Monkeypants]

My DD (almost 5) really loves books on CD. She is so auditory. She too is very sensitive to dramatic tension and scariness. She really likes the Little House series and Winnie the Pooh. Also the Raggity Ann stories and the Narnia series, Especially Magician's Nephew- which is not scary at all!! I always go for the unabridged versions, I like having the story read as the author intended.

[zonapellucida]

Thanks ladies--I have trouble getting them to sit while I read to them (and it makes me so mad!!!!!) so I think I am going to give the books on tape a shot. I will let them draw or play with clay ect. I am working really hard at trying to limit tv time and find other alternatives to gradually replace the television all together (Like that will ever happen!)

[Mamax3]

Originally Posted by beanma

i've thought about getting some books on tape for awhile, but dd1 is very sensititve and doesn't like anything remotely scary or too dramatic. i saw our toy store had the jim weiss uncle wiggly cd and i couldn't remember the stories well enough to make a confident purchase. can anybody give me a review? any scary parts? we do havetwo spanish cds that dd1 loves, "fun spanish for kids" and "magic spanish for kids".

www.chinaberry.com has loads of childrens books on CD/tape, and customer service is great, if you call them to order they can make suggestions to you of stories that aren't scary. I love their catalog, each book has a personally written review of the book...very nice.

[dharmamama]

My kids listen to books on tape when they lay down for naps and when they go to bed. Their current favorites are Magic Treehouse. They have also really enjoyed the Ramona books. We've done Stuart Little, A Bear Called Paddington, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, The Wind in the Willows, Uncle Wiggily, Little Bear, Eric Carle stories, and the Frances the Badger books. My kids LOVE to listen to books on tape. We also have two kid-friendly tape players, and the kids are free to listen to books on tape on those any time they want (in fact, as I type, they are listening to a Magic Treehouse, Ghosttown at Sundown). I don't require that they "do" anything as they listen. They can sit quietly and listen or they can carry the tape player around the house while they go about their business. The only thing I don't allow is turning on the tape player and walking away (I don't want the batteries run down for nothing).

Namaste!

[UlrikeDG]

Originally Posted by beanma

i've thought about getting some books on tape for awhile, but dd1 is very sensititve and doesn't like anything remotely scary or too dramatic. i saw our toy store had the jim weiss uncle wiggly cd and i couldn't remember the stories well enough to make a confident purchase. can anybody give me a review? any scary parts?

We don't have that particular CD, but based on my other experiences with Weiss, I'd be willing to bet it's 100% fine. That ones is recommended for ages 3 & up, and I've found that even CDs that are one or sometims two age groups above my kids have been OK.