American Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad narrates her fictional story about new beginnings and family bonds. Faziah is full of pride when she sees her sister Asiya wearing the hijab for the first time at school. But soon, bullies have Faziah practicing early lessons of self-acceptance. Muhammad narrates with particular thoughtfulness when Faziah responds to her classmates' first taunts with a whisper and then a shout. The brightness of the book's illustrations does not translate to audio per se, but the overall emotion of Faziah's experience is clearly conveyed. The music that bookends the narration sets a hopeful tone. Many listeners will hear their own stories echoed in this one and find courage and resilience in this #ownvoices production.
(Picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
Duration: 7 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549182563
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Live Oak Media recently caught our attention with this new read-along book and cassette program. We listened first, and were so delighted we couldn't wait to get the book. The picture book made the experience even better, but the audio recordings was strong and vibrant by itself. THE GARDENER, Sarah Stewart's Depression-era story of a young girl sent to live with her Uncle Jim in the city has a sweet, wistful quality with narration alone, but coupled with David Small's soft-edged pencil illustration, it's a total delight. The reading is repeated on both sides of the tape, one with and without page-turning signals.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Naeymi’s narration is both raw and triumphant.
Samara Naeymi beautifully narrates this middle-grade novel about an Iranian American girl. Bullied by her classmates for her frizzy hair and thick eyebrows and criticized by her mother for her weight, Yasmin struggles to be her authentic self in a world that tells her she's not good enough. There are many different perspectives in this story, and Naeymi is true to each: Yasmin’s judgmental mother, with her Persian accent and steely belief in her own harsh parenting; the ruthless teenagers whose hurtful comments cause emotional harm; the younger brother concerned for his sister's unhappiness; and the tried-and-true best friend.
Naeymi’s narration is both raw and triumphant. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 24, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 51 mins
DD ISBN: 9798349114861
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: yesterday
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