Gosage delivers these scientifically sound oceanic anecdotes with an easy-listening appeal.
Narrator Ellie Gosage speaks to middle-grade listeners as a friend, her tone changing with each ocean-themed topic. Gosage’s conversational narration reflects the book’s plain language. Her tone ranges from amused, as in “Blubber Blunder,” about a town’s attempt to destroy an 8-ton whale carcass with a half-ton of dynamite, to impressed, as in “The (Dog’s) Nose Knows,” about one dog’s unique ability to locate floating whale poop from a half-mile away while on a boat. (The excrement is used to capture DNA information.) In a chapter about a grieving orca, Gosage’s narration is especially soulful.
Gosage delivers these scientifically sound oceanic anecdotes with an easy-listening appeal. (10-12)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Duration: 3 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217172764
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
A heartfelt audiobook for the entire family to enjoy.
With a youthful voice, Jeff Ebner brings much emotion to this realistic middle-grade novel. Ten-year-old Nathan Savage is consumed with worry that the gigantic pile of trash across the street from his home is about to collapse. He’s even more worried that his father, who works at the top of said pile, is in extreme danger. It’s up to Nathan to devise a flawless plan to save the day. Ebner’s fast-paced, energetic narration moves the action along, engaging young listeners to the very last word.
A heartfelt audiobook for the entire family to enjoy.Pub Date: March 10, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 55 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217280445
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
An inspiring listen for budding environmentalists and for kids who love nature and science.
Kirby Heyborne narrates this hopeful exploration of why birds are so important to the planet in a tone of gentle amazement. Chapters focus on different ecosystems around the world and the crucial roles birds play in them, along with warnings about what might happen to those ecosystems (and to us) if the birds disappear. Young listeners learn about bird species that have gone extinct, often because of human activity, and about the groundbreaking conservation work people are doing today. Heyborne expertly delivers the many facts and conveys the author’s humor, but a periodic xylophone trill that indicates what might be a sidebar in the print book is intrusive.
An inspiring listen for budding environmentalists and for kids who love nature and science. (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781668658031
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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