Fermentation expert Sandor Katz’s hearty voice punctuates Lori Prince’s overall narration of this picture book. It’s a biography of Katz, who moved to a “community of queer folk” in Tennessee in search of a healthy life after his HIV diagnosis. He has become famous for his recipes for fermented foods. The titular “tiny wild”—the microbes that make the culinary magic—swirl as multicolored dots through Julie Wilson’s humorous illustrations. Prince clearly relishes the text’s occasional alliteration and onomatopoeia just as much as Katz’s friends savor his “kraut-chi.” The story and a concluding note written and narrated by Katz are presented twice, with and without page-turn signals. Further information, including notes read by each co-author, concludes the book and recording. The whole package fizzes with briny verve.
(Picture-book biography. 7-10)Pub Date: July 15, 2023
Duration: 10 mins
DD ISBN: 9781430145134
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ruby will win listeners over with her unique point of view.
Kate Coventry brings Ruby Emmerson, a middle school student with learning differences, to realistic, vibrant life. She and her twin brother, Bryce, have been accepted at the rigorous Benton Academy, where standards are high and failure is not tolerated. Even after getting extra help, Ruby fails a math test she worked hard to pass. When she anonymously posts online about her frustration in being “the mango among the lovebirds,” she’s surprised to discover she’s not the only student struggling. Coventry captures Ruby’s helplessness, anger, and eventual courage and determination as she misses her old friends at the neighborhood school, tries to fit in at Benton, and fights for the support all students need.
Ruby will win listeners over with her unique point of view. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 14, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 18 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668658390
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 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: April 28, 2026
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