Updike’s 12 poems celebrate the changing seasons with images that might catch a child’s eye. His verses, some of which are very lovely, focus on changes in the natural world (from snow to mud to crocuses) and on celebrations that accompany these changes (Christmas, Valentine's, Fourth of July). Each verse ends with a sound image that connects to the month’s poem (such as the sound of fireworks or baseball heard on TV). Updike’s presentation is earnest. While he sometimes overemphasizes line breaks in his poems, he has a kind voice and reads carefully, allowing time for children to enjoy the lovely gem-like illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman.
Ages 4-6Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Duration: 13 mins
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Robinson makes listeners squirm with her performance of young campers facing a dystopian future.
Rioghnach Robinson channels middle school energy to narrate this story of Anna-Jane, who is excited to be returning to summer camp with friends. But this year will be different: News of a rapidly spreading virus is reported right before people outside camp start disappearing and mutated animals start appearing. The campers soon realize that no rescue is coming, and they must work together to survive while waiting out the virus. Robinson beautifully captures the emotional arc of the tweens, from delighted campers to terrified children to determined survivors. She conveys the thrill of young love and the volatility of friendship and believably characterizes both bullies and a science nerd.
Robinson makes listeners squirm with her performance of young campers facing a dystopian future. (Verse apocalyptic adventure. 9-13)Pub Date: April 28, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 21 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217172788
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
A disappointment.
Narrator JJ Hawkins gives voice to the hurt and anger eighth grader Jasper, an autistic trans boy, feels when his older brother goes off to college while Jasper channels his emotions into digging for fossils in the backyard. It can’t be possible…but then a saber-toothed tiger speaks telepathically to Jasper from beneath the earth. What could be cooler? Unfortunately, Gow’s free verse poems emphasize Jasper’s roiling emotions over plotting and pacing, with the result that listeners spend more time hearing how Jasper feels than they do experiencing the suspense of discovery and the excitement that ensues. Hawkins does his best to lend Jasper some nuance, but his efforts can go only so far with a character who is written as an exposed raw nerve.
A disappointment. (Verse fiction. 11-14)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798349108426
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2026
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