Tinkling piano music turns to a melodramatic strain on the audio, and white words flash on a black page of the accompanying book like a silent movie on the silver screen. “What luck!” Mo Willems declares with a dastardly laugh as he portrays a pseudo-gentlemanly fox who is luring a wide-eyed hen home for dinner. Cher Willems affects the naïve air of his potential victim. “Sure!” she says when invited for a walk in the woods. A chorus of children’s voices repeats the yellow chicks’ warning: “That is not a good idea!” Cher acts flirtatious and clueless, making Mo’s oily manner clearer. Then comes a sudden switch. Cher’s voice turns shrewish as she reveals that SHE’S the villainous diner, not the potential dinner. The drama and timing of the audio, written words, and illustrations combine for a triple treat.
(Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2015
Duration: 6 mins
Publisher: Weston Woods Studios
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Glick's animated delivery is a great match for this unique peek at a common but surprisingly enigmatic creature.
Maxwell Glick narrates this nonfiction book about eels and scientific exploration with audible amusement and enthusiasm. Glick is humorously upbeat as he reveals how little we actually know about the threatened but once-ubiquitous eel. Young listeners will be able to imagine that they are eels and may be surprised to learn that for many years, people believed Aristotle’s theory that eels sprang spontaneously from mud. Author Day shares interesting tidbits, such as the fact that all American and European eels originate from and eventually return to the Sargasso Sea. But perhaps the most humbling fact is that scientists still don't know everything—especially when it comes to eels.
Glick's animated delivery is a great match for this unique peek at a common but surprisingly enigmatic creature. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 20 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217352708
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
A thoughtful and surprisingly exciting real-life adventure tale about survival and community.
In June 2023, an unknown person abandoned four pet rabbits in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Heights Park. Over the following weeks, neighbors of all ages came together to track and trap the bunnies. Narrator Amy Jensen seamlessly blends humor with a more serious tone as she guides listeners through the extensive rescue operation as well as the origins of the park, the history of rabbit domestication, and the backgrounds of the folks who spent long, tiring days crawling through ivy and scrub to bring the rabbits to safety. Jensen’s cheerful, child-friendly tones are informative and straightforward, including when she details the highs and lows of animal rescue beyond the immediate thrill of success.
A thoughtful and surprisingly exciting real-life adventure tale about survival and community. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 3 hrs, 20 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668659199
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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