[Editor's note: The following is a combined review with JOHNNY APPLESEED.]--Listen and savor the stories of two remarkable people, one a pillar of American folklore and one not so well known but equally beloved. In Reeve Lindbergh’s poem, the hero is Johnny Appleseed, and in Barbara Cooney’s MISS RUMPHIUS, the heroine is Alice Rumphius. During their lives each of these people has done just what Miss Rumphius’s grandfather had admonished her to do--namely “do something to make the world more beautiful.” In Lindbergh’s poem we witness the travels and traits of Johnny Appleseed through the eyes of Hannah Dustin, whose path crossed with his poignantly during their lives. Mary McDonnell shares the wonders of this quiet, proud American in a calm, modulated voice. She leaves time for the listener to consider Johnny’s accomplishments and to appreciate the myriad of details in Kathy Jacobsen’s artwork. (The activities in each changing season, Johnny’s labors, and the growth of the American nation are richly portrayed in the borders and full-page spreads.) The musical accompaniment provides a jaunty, period flavor. The music of MISS RUMPHIUS mirrors the activities in the life of Alice Rumphius, from her youth in a busy seafaring town to the heights and far reaches of her travels and to her home by the sea. Claire Danes empathizes with this sturdy character and shares her pride of accomplishment as well as her puzzlement at how to fulfill her grandfather’s wish. There is joy for both Miss Rumphius and the listener when the lupines bloom. Cooney’s cool palate of lupine blues, purples, and pinks washing the countryside, illuminating Miss Rumphius’s travels, and sliding in and out of fog is breathtaking. Apples? Lupines? What will you do to make the world more beautiful?
Ages 6+Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2000
Duration: 13 mins
Publisher: Weston Woods Studios
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
While narrator Liam Aiken evokes the wistful, dolorous tone of Snicket’s second mystery in his All the Wrong Questions series, he fails to deliver Snicket’s signature snark with appropriate vigor. In this episode, the main character, 12-year-old Lemony Snicket, continues the investigations that began in STAIN’D BY THE SEA with the case of the missing chemist, Cleo Knight. As Aiken delivers Snicket’s declarative sentences in a deadpan voice, his remote reading keeps listeners distant from the story. Furthermore, Aiken does not always play up the quirks of the town’s eccentric characters. When he does use individualized voicings, the story shakes off its languidness to some degree. Aiken’s melancholy narration echoes Snicket’s loneliness but doesn’t enliven the recording for young listeners. An attached PDF file includes the character Seth’s illustrations.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478924845
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Jeff Harding voices the many impactful moments of 1919 in this engaging nonfiction audiobook. From women activists fighting for the right to vote to the Red Scare and civil rights riots, Sandler draws parallels to today's social issues. Harding matches 1919's cadence with a forward-moving pace. He uses different accents for quotations, though the women and people of color might have been better served with a diverse cast. The asides and timelines that appear in the text also are in the audio. Full of fascinating stories put into a modern context, this audiobook offers much to learn about an eventful year and ponders the big questions of our current time.
(Nonfiction. 11-16)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
