The magic of music enchants in this audio biography of world-renowned pianist Teresa Carreño's childhood. Almarie Guerra's gentle, reassuring narration transports the listener to Teresa's idyllic days playing the piano in Venezuela, followed by her flight from a revolution and arrival in New York City during the Civil War. Guerra beautifully voices Margarita Engle's lyrical prose and captures this little girl's courage in the face of adversity and determination to better the world through the unifying power of making music with her "dancing hands." Guerra's pacing is just right for admiring the companion picture book's stunning illustrations, or for simply listening to the subtle ambient sounds and captivating musical score throughout this inspirational story. A historical footnote provides further details on Carreño's lifetime achievements.
(Informational picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019
Duration: 14 mins
DD ISBN: 9781974982424
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ken Coleman's expertise as a baseball announcer enriches this history of the Boston Red Sox since the sale of Babe Ruth to the N.Y. Yankees. He leads off with a grim account of this transaction, which started the curse that has plagued the Red Sox ever since. The sermon-like tone will amuse non-believers and comfort listeners who are certain the team is cursed. Like the ups and downs of Boston's play through the years, the narrator's voice fluctuates--exuberant and then despondent--in tone and tempo accurately reflecting the mood of any given baseball season. The narrator is very successful at conveying the emotional roller coaster ride Red Sox fans have endured as a result of the curse of the Bambino.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A perfect portrayal.
Nickel reads her imaginative picture-book biography of Hans Christian Andersen in a fairy-tale tone. She weaves the facts of the famous storyteller’s life together with a sense of whimsy, stressing rhythms and repetitions that captivate. It’s as if she embodies the storytelling spirit of the poor shoemaker’s son who possessed a nose “two times as long” and a heart “two times as tender” as everyone else around him. Nickel’s narration and writing are as inventive as Andersen, who, when rejected by theaters, dance studios, and choirs, created cut-paper characters while he told children his tales. The man who saw himself as an ugly duckling is finally admired as “the most beautiful swan of all.”
A perfect portrayal. (Picture-book biography. 5-7)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 6 mins
DD ISBN: 9798898851132
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: yesterday
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