This 1981 Caldecott winner shines on audio as Mark Linn-Baker puts genuine feeling and warm humor into his reading of 20 fables by the late, great Arnold Lobel, best known for his enduring Frog and Toad books. These aren't your father's Aesopian fables but gentle, funny animal tales of mischievous kangaroos, pompous elephants, and dancing camels. Each story ends with a moral that rings true. There's nothing preachy about Linn-Baker's performance. In fact, it sounds like he's having fun. It seems as if kids have to make the same mistakes their parents make since they usually refuse to learn from well-meaning adult advice. But when the advice comes from sadder-but-wiser ducks, lions, and rhinos, kids might just accept such lessons as "all the miles of hard road are worth a moment of true happiness." Both the fables and Linn-Baker are charmers.
Ages 6+Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2009
Duration: 44 mins
DD ISBN: 9780061967030
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Glick's animated delivery is a great match for this unique peek at a common but surprisingly enigmatic creature.
Maxwell Glick narrates this nonfiction book about eels and scientific exploration with audible amusement and enthusiasm. Glick is humorously upbeat as he reveals how little we actually know about the threatened but once-ubiquitous eel. Young listeners will be able to imagine that they are eels and may be surprised to learn that for many years, people believed Aristotle’s theory that eels sprang spontaneously from mud. Author Day shares interesting tidbits, such as the fact that all American and European eels originate from and eventually return to the Sargasso Sea. But perhaps the most humbling fact is that scientists still don't know everything—especially when it comes to eels.
Glick's animated delivery is a great match for this unique peek at a common but surprisingly enigmatic creature. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 20 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217352708
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
A thoughtful and surprisingly exciting real-life adventure tale about survival and community.
In June 2023, an unknown person abandoned four pet rabbits in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Heights Park. Over the following weeks, neighbors of all ages came together to track and trap the bunnies. Narrator Amy Jensen seamlessly blends humor with a more serious tone as she guides listeners through the extensive rescue operation as well as the origins of the park, the history of rabbit domestication, and the backgrounds of the folks who spent long, tiring days crawling through ivy and scrub to bring the rabbits to safety. Jensen’s cheerful, child-friendly tones are informative and straightforward, including when she details the highs and lows of animal rescue beyond the immediate thrill of success.
A thoughtful and surprisingly exciting real-life adventure tale about survival and community. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 3 hrs, 20 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668659199
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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