LeBron James's mother, Gloria James, gives authenticity to this audiobook by the NBA champion and cultural icon. In a rich, clear voice, she narrates his upbeat, motivational "I Promise" pledge, which encourages kids to be resilient, respectful, imaginative, hardworking, persistent, and true to themselves. James uses Black vernacular pronunciations throughout (for example, "ax" instead of "ask"). While this brings a sense of warmth and realness to the narration, James's performance lacks dramatic power. The rhyming cadence can sound repetitive without pauses or vocal variation to signal emphasis. Nevertheless, even without the illustrations, the words will inspire kids to think about their own futures and strive for greatness. A closing note helps listeners develop their own promises to themselves and their communities.
(Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: 2020
Duration: 4 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063026841
Publisher: Harper 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:
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Cousins Avery and Jax don't have much in common, including their feelings about a summer at their family's crumbling island vacation home. She thinks it's a great adventure, and he'd rather be anywhere else. Narrator Kate Coventry embodies Avery's open, exuberant, and sometimes thoughtless behavior, while Pete Cross makes clear to listeners how much quiet Jax is impacted by his father's overbearing nature. As they help clean the place up to sell it, they find pages torn from a diary that may uncover what drove their parents away from the island and each other years before. Cassandra Morris's brief narration of the mysterious diarist is compelling in its simplicity. Narrators Kate Coventry and Pete Cross provide vivacity to this exploration of family history and regrets.
(Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798225027049
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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