Simply The Best Audiobooks in Kids, Ages 5-7 New Releases

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Title: Maybelle Goes to Tea

Author: Katie Speck

Narrator: Peggy Price

Format: Unabridged

Length: 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-08

Publisher: Recorded Books

Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7

Publisher's Summary:

In this Junior Library Guild selection and sequel to her critically acclaimed

Maybelle in the Soup, Katie Speck delivers another compelling episode from the life of America's favorite cucaracha. When the Peabodys leave their home to buy goodies for a spring tea, a pesky fly zooms in. Trying to escape, he bashes into some glass and lands bellyup on the windowsill. If the Peabodys find him before he recovers, they will overreact and call the dreaded exterminator. With the fate of fellow housemates in her hands - and with chocolate cookies beckoning - what's a little cockroach to do?

©2008 Katie Speck (P)2008 Recorded Books, LLC

Members Reviews:

Among the toys and guests and confusion at Christmas my ...

Among the toys and guests and confusion at Christmas my granddaughter sat in a chair and read until this was done. She is six.

Too Cute to Be Buggy!

I ordered this book on amazon.com after someone on Twitter suggested I watch a video about the book. After watching the video, I just had to get the book for my granddaughter who lives in South Carolina. They have some huge palmetto bugs there and the 6-year-old shares my dislike of them!

I got the book in the mail today. It's a chapter book and perfect for a young, but advanced reader now attending kindergarten (not me-my granddaughter). I read the book and chuckled at the antics of these buggy critters. I especially loved Maurice the fly. "BRZZT! Going in, BRZZT! going out!" has beome my favorite "buzz" phrase around here! I couldn't resist just now when I let my dog in the back door. "BRZZT! coming in?" I asked her. Okay, so you can tell that everything at the Perry house is not JUST SO!

My husband is laughing. He's reading the book now. We are easy to entertain--no need for a pompous tea party with ladies wearing fruity hats.

Enjoyed reading it

Very clever story! Enjoyed reading it!

Icky bugs: where reality meets fantasy

Maybelle Goes to Tea is the story of Maybelle, a cockroach so feminine and allegedly cute she wears a pink bow and pearls; Henry the flea, who lives with Maybelle at the Peabody's house; and Maurice the fly who sometimes meanders inside. The Peabodys, of course, do not know these critters live in their house. At the first sight of them, bug bombs and exterminators appear. In this installment, Mrs. Peabody is hosting a lady's tea. Maybelle cannot follow her rules, "when it's light, stay out of sight; if you're spied, better hide; and never meet with human feet," with Mrs. Peabody baking chocolate surprise cookies.

I like the idea behind the story. It could be comforting to kids to have a cute face put on household pests. After living in the South for years, I believe cleanliness does not equal buglessness, and it is inevitable for children to come across the pests. I don't understand why Maybelle needs a pink ribbon and pearls to be a girl, but I can overlook it. The big problem for me as an adult reader of this book is the way Speck dances between reality and fantasy. The reality of bugs in homes is offset with the fantasy of a roach, fly and flea as friends. The reality of the cat chasing these critters is set off with the fantasy of human antics. Maybelle Goes to Tea is part allegory, part fun and part serious. For me, it's not enough of any of those to be great. That being said, it's a fine, entertaining read for early readers.

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Title: Andre

Author: Lew Dietz

Narrator: Rachel Sieben, Toni Goodridge

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-10-08

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7

Publisher's Summary:

The true story of a harbor seal that charmed the world paired with the teenage voice of actress Rachel Sieben will capture imaginations of all ages!

©1979 Lew Dietz; (P)1994 Audio Bookshelf

Members Reviews:

We love Andre

This is a great book about Andre the seal - narrated from Toni's point of view. It's a little wordy to read to a 4 year old but it's a good book to read after watching the movie "A Seal called Andre". It fills in the blanks that the movie left out.

recapture your childhood

great book from my past!

fantastic true story!

The story is told by the son of the man who first tamed, and then released, Andre the harbor seal. Fantastic for children because it is told from the perspective of a boy who grew up with this seal, but also very informative and interesting to adults as he is very specific about the difficulties they encountered. While it is a funny and heartwarming story, it also points out the inherent problems faced by wild animals when they are raised by humans. Many fascinating discussions can come from this reading!

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Title: Ivan the Not-So-Terrible

Subtitle: Tales of a Time-Traveling Ten Year-Old

Author: Richard Stim

Narrator: Peter Rofe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-20-08

Publisher: Tall Tales Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7

Publisher's Summary:

But within a few days, they become friends. It turns out to be Ivan's best summer ever...until something terrible happens. Can Ivan use his magic vest to travel back in time and stop the disaster?

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Title: The Three Musketeers

Author: Alexander Dumas

Format: Abridged

Length: 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-13-08

Publisher: Saddleback Educational Publishing

Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7

Publisher's Summary:

The young man has only one dream - to join the brave company of the king's musketeers. Will he be clever and daring enough to make his dream come true? He rides into Paris on his old, broken-down horse. A world of adventure is just ahead.

©2005 Saddleback Educational Publishing; (P)2005 Saddleback Educational Publishing

Members Reviews:

It Had the Look I Wanted for the Gift

I got this for my sister after she had her second child. I kind of felt that she needed a copy with an old school binding for her son to discover on her bookshelf, or in storage, or somewhere around the house like I did as a kid.

The copy lived up to the look I wanted. It had the design that would be intimidating when he was learning to read, the design that made it clearly an "adult" book...and then the title: "The Three Musketeers" which was enough, at least for me, to give it a peak inside and discover the adventure.

I hope things go the same way here. Its really a must read for childhood and it has that mysterious feel that a kid would eventually be attracted to.

Alone on a desert island?

If marooned on the eponymous desert island, the two books I would want with my for reading and rereading without ever failing to find something new to enjoy or to delight, would be this(at hand) edition of The Three Musketeers and Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. Huge, weighty tomes filled with splendid and piquant, pithy text, like a delicious Panini. Hot, spicy, juicy. A feast for the starving and cool drink for the thirsty.

Both are excellent and any student tasked with reading these books should not offer a groan or being put upon, but smirk to his/herself of official justification for stealing the time to satisfy oneself on "company" time.

Some clarification is needed on the KINDLE edition

When I ordered this what I got delivered to my Kindle was the older Penguin translation by Lord Sudley, not the recent one by Richard Pevear, as in the description. Which suits me just fine, because on comparison the older one is my favourite (even though it completely lacks explanatory notes). It seems to flow better, and lets me get into the story without having to be too conscious of the writing/translation style.

But if you're specially after the Pevear translation on your Kindle, take care!

Classic swashbuckler

Love this book almost as much as Dumasâ The Count of Monte Cristo. The Musketeers are more lighthearted and less tortured than the Count.

Dated language but a very good read

I am over 60 and had never read The Three Musketeers. I decided to fill this gap after reading The Count of Monte Cristo. Aside from some dated language and some history I had to research, it was an easy read. Very enjoyable story and I know why this has been made into movies so many times.

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Title: The Stolen Smell

Author: Martha Hamilton, Mitch Weiss

Narrator: Martha Hamilton, Mitch Weiss

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-11-08

Publisher: August House

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7

Publisher's Summary:

In this story from Peru, we meet a baker who is so stingy that he wants to charge people just for smelling his baked goods. When the baker takes his case to court, the wise judge decides to teach the greedy man a well-deserved lesson. Illustrated by Tom Wrenn.

©2007 Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss; (P)2007 August House Publishers, Inc.

Editorial Reviews:

Before the advent of television, movies, and other such forms, storytellers roved the land and entertained audiences with what we now call folk tales. Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss, a real-life husband and wife team who calls themselves "Beauty and the Beast Storytellers", carries that tradition into the contemporary world.

With a gift for big characterizations, Martha and Mitch perform this audiobook presentation of a folk tale about a stingy baker who accuses customers of stealing smells! The Stolen Smell is appropriate for all ages and features a full soundtrack of background and incidental sounds.

Members Reviews:

One Star

Very good book! My family really enjoyed reading it more than once!!

wonderful book

This is a wonderful, clever story - teaches compassion and displays wit in a cross-cultural setting. My children and I love this book!

Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children

A greedy and miserly baker insists that his neighbor, who can barely afford to buy stale bread but savors the wonderful aromas from the bakery, pay for the "stolen" smells. Although the neighbor is baffled and the townspeople are amused by this demand, the baker takes the matter to court. A clever judge applies the baker's logic to resolving the case and rewards the baker with the sounds of the neighbor's coins clinking together. The Stolen Smell does a nice job in adapting an old folktale to a new setting, and in doing so serves as a useful source for teaching a quick lesson in economics that sometimes production can yield an external benefit for which consumers do not need to pay.

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Title: Jack Plank Tells Tales

Author: Natalie Babbitt

Narrator: John H. Mayer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-22-08

Publisher: Listening Library

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7

Publisher's Summary:

The town was called Saltwash, on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, and he had a lot of helpful advice from the people in Mrs. DelFresno's boardinghouse. Somehow, though, each career he looked into seemed to have something wrong with it. And every night at dinner in the boardinghouse, he tried to explain why. For who would want to work where there might be a troll, or the danger of getting a crab caught in your beard? Or what about a music-loving crocodile? There were other things, too, that ran against every suggestion and took the wind out of his sails.

At last, Jack sadly decided he wouldn't be good at anything onshore and would have to go back to sea, pirate or not. But sometimes, as you probably know already, things work out very nicely when you least expect it.

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Title: The Four Friends

Author: Shobha Viswanath

Narrator: Saeed Jaffrey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-29-08

Publisher: Karadi Tales

Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7

Publisher's Summary:

A fable/folktale from India from the Panchatantra. In this delightful story about friendship and loyalty, a set of four unusual friends - a tortoise, a mole, a deer, and a crow - join forces to outwit a hunter.

©1997 Karadi Tales Company Pvt. Ltd.; (P)1997 Karadi Tales Company Pvt. Ltd.

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Title: Chet Gecko, Private Eye, Book 2

Subtitle: The Mystery of Mr. Nice

Author: Bruce Hale

Narrator: Jon Cryer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-08

Publisher: Listening Library

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7

Publisher's Summary:

When Chet is sent to the principal's office, he finds a shocking surprise. Principal Zero (sometimes known as "Big Fat Zero") is acting friendly: quite unlike himself. He either has become a nice person (nawww!), been brainwashed, or is being impersonated by someone else. Chet and his mockingbird partner, Natalie, find a suspicious class schedule:

©2000 Bruce Hale; (P)2001 Random House, Inc.

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Title: St. George and the Dragon

Author: Agnes Grozier Herbertson

Narrator: David DuChene

Format: Abridged

Length: 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-19-07

Publisher: PC Treasures, Inc.

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7

Publisher's Summary:

The ancient city of Selene is beset by a fearsome dragon that demands a terrible tribute of a maiden. Even the king's bravest knights cannot overcome the loathsome creature, and it's up to a dashing adventurer to save the king's daughter from the beast's fiery attention.

©2006 PC Treasures, Inc.; (P)2006 PC Treasures, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Beware of this travesty- it's dull and stilted!

Beware, the beauty of literature is not in this edition! THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE PUFFIN IN BLOOM EDITION ONLY. Heidi is such an awesome story, the translation by Helen Dole reads so beautifully and engages the reader to follow closely along, to interact and enter into the adventure. This book has short sentences, as if to hand feed the reader so that they don't need to pay attention or engage. In other words- it's a dumbed-down translation!! Please don't deprive young readers of good literature! There is a place for simplified versions of books BUT that should be clear when purchasing that it isn't the original version and writing has been altered. This book changes the names of characters too. It is a travesty!! So, if all you want is a "pretty" cover - fine, but even the inside illustrations aren't good - it saddened me and I sent it back. Thank you, Amazon for ease of returns. Please be aware that Amazon sells different editions translated differently. Perhaps you'll find a new edition that is better than this one. I'm very happy with the used copy I found on Amazon with a copy write date of 1945. The illustrations are wonderful and the language is beautiful, and the names are not Americanized. The Puffin in Bloom edition has a character named Barbie.

Another Place and Time

This is a lovely story about family and redemption. Spyri does a wonderful job of bringing the Alps to life, so much so, you can almost feel the brisk snowy air and hear the wind whispering through the trees. It's a sweet little fantasy, and well loved by generations for a good reason. I read it as a child and revisited it recently, and it was just as I remembered it after 40 some years, even better in fact because I appreciate the deeper themes so much better. Human nature is one thing that doesn't change, and the story of Heidi gives a lot of talking points for parents and grandparents to share with children, probably the 9 to 11 year old crowd, both boys and girls. For the adult crowd, it's a gem of a story to bring us to another place and time, about as far from this crazy, hectic life as is possible. Take a break and relax with this beautiful story.

Worth Re-reading as an Adult

Heidi was one of my favorite childhood books, and I recently revisited it in electronic format. I must have originally read an abridged version, because this seemed longer and more literary, making it all the more enjoyable. I very much enjoyed the emphasis on the joys of nature and a simple rural life, especially since I lived in Switzerland for a number of years and could better envision the location. The characters were believable, in context, and the religious message, though stronger than I remembered, was appropriate.

Time worn and wonderful story about the Swiss girl Heidi made famous by ...

Time worn and wonderful story about the Swiss girl Heidi made famous by Shirley Temple in the movie, which has many departations from the book.

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Title: Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo #7

Subtitle: Drat, You Copycat!

Author: Nancy Krulik

Narrator: Anne Bobby

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-11-07

Publisher: Listening Library

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7

Publisher's Summary:

Becky is the new girl in class 3A, and she's a great big copycat! She's trying to be just like Katie's best friend Suzanne. She follows Suzanne around, dresses like her, and steals Suzanne's class report topic. Suzanne can't stand Becky! Then, the magic wind turns Katie into Becky. Will Suzanne change her mind about the new girl? Will Katie turn back into herself without causing too much trouble?

©2003 Nancy Krulik; (P)2005 Random House, Inc.

Members Reviews:

It is very funny

It talks about a girl named Katie, but it is hard for Katie because there is a new girl! And her friend thinks the new girl is a copy cat. Who's side should Katie be on?

We love the stories of Katie Kazoo Switcheroo

I had purchased the first book and my granddaughter did not want to put it down. She was so eager in finding out what is next. When she started telling me about Katie Kazoo and her story I picked up the book and started reading. Nancy E. Krulik is writing the stories in a way that you can transfer yourself into the set and feel part of it. Your child will love it.

My 6 year old daughter LOVES this series. She ...

My 6 year old daughter LOVES this series. She can't put the books down. We go through a book every couple of days. And when I read them out loud, even my 4 year old son is there quietly listening. He too wants to know who Katie is going to change in to next.

Girl's opinion

Hi i am 8 in the book kate kazoo there is this new girl and becky the new kid copies

Susan and in the book kate is becky and becky is kate and at the end they swich back it is a really good book i give it 3 stars up.

okay..................

I've read better nancy krulik books,Suzanne's so mean to Becky ,,,, I wish that Katie would stand up to her!!! I personally think that instead of Becky being a copy cat, I Suzanne's a BRAT!