Gurgles, drips, and the hiss of steam combine with a musical score to accompany Janina Edwards's accomplished narration of this poem about the water cycle. "Drip. Sip. Pour me a cup. / Water is water unless . . . /it heats up." Her voice lingers with relish on the internal rhymes and onomatopoeia that carry listeners from page-turn to page- turn. End rhymes announce each transformation. In Jason Chin's watercolors, two siblings, both kids of color, explore each change against a rural background--perhaps Chin's native Vermont--as the seasons turn and water evaporates, condenses, freezes, and more, ultimately plumping up apples that become sweet cider. Edwards also delivers the note that concludes the book, which gracefully incorporates definitions into its expansion on the concepts. A delight.
(Informational picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2022
Duration: 10 mins
Publisher: Weston Woods Studios
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Playful music and Emma Lysy's cheerful narration animate this brief but thoroughly enchanting audiobook for young listeners. The whimsical story unfolds as Little Star can't resist slipping out of bed every night to nibble on the delicious mooncake that her mother baked and hung in the sky to cool. In a story reminiscent of trickster folklore, Little Star's mischievous nibbling slowly diminishes the big, round mooncake in an imaginative allegory of the phases of the waning moon. Lysy's lively delivery enhances the growing sense of anticipation as Little Star wonders whether her mother notices the changes with each passing night. This is a delightful listening experience, and Grace Lin's Caldecott Honor award-winning picture-book illustrations can provide a stunning visual complement.
(Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Dec. 29, 2020
Duration: 4 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549104497
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Shy, unpopular Code is miserable when his grandfather disappears. His life goes from bad to bizarre when, on a school field trip, he trips over a hole and winds up in Mek Mound—once an ancient Okalahoman pyramid, now a land of metallic robots that threaten Earth. David Ackroyd’s narration is solid and precise. He gives a human sound to a myriad of robot personalities—a windy-voiced curmudgeon of an inventor, Code’s chatty robot buddy, and their threatening nemesis, Immortalis. Ackroyd delivers Code’s fears and hopes, as well as moments of humor, as he searches for a way to free his grandfather and vanquish the mechanical villains.
Ages 8+Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2011
Duration: 4 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780307915245
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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