In a youthful, gentle voice, narrator Anastasia Nguyen imagines various world communities during the time when almost everyone went inside to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus. Sound effects and music enhance this gentle audiobook and provide contrast between life outdoors and the new indoor life. Without the illustrations, this audiobook is still a vivid and engaging story, but when paired with the pictures, it becomes an immersive time capsule of a unique moment in history. Nguyen reads the author's note in a calm voice, explaining what LeUyen Pham personally saw when the world shut down and highlighting the roles of essential workers and the Black Lives Matter protests.
(Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2021
Duration: 13 mins
DD ISBN: 9781666509595
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Xe Sands's strong narration reflects the promise in the title of this children's audio on the topic of a parent's serious illness. Her variations on the refrain "love stays strong" serve as a continual affirmation throughout, and her tender tone sounds like she's addressing an adored child. Sands's lyrical cadences emphasize changes in the natural world and how the seasons' turns relate to the changes illness brings. She compares the miracle of how "a few drops of honey can fuel a bee's flight around the world" to the power provided by a child's love. The tone, tempo, and images of this audiobook make for a reassuring listen. The afterword shows the author's range of expertise as she gently offers advice on how adults can comfort children and aid their understanding of a loved one's illness.
Ages 4-6Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
Duration: 5 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217081561
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Joey Florez juggles the many facets of this audiobook. Depicting seventh grader Alex Ramirez, a neurodivergent student, Florez honors both the character and the verse format of the story. He gives his narration a definitive rhythm. Periodically, Ramirez uses fluid Spanish that reflects Alex's heritage and adds another rhythm to the narration. Alex has been in an SC (self-contained) classroom since a third-grade conflict landed a former friend in the hospital. Florez's narration reveals Alex's intelligence and curiosity, frustration with the limitations on his learning and with bullying, passion for space, and determination to escape his narrow bounds and enter a mainstream science class, his first step in attaining his dreams.
(Verse fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
Duration: 2 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217071289
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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