Our library system has thousands of good books on CD appropriate for all age ranges. For a long time when the kids were younger I was reluctant to check them out. I think I was worried that listening would discourage reading. I also imposed an impossible standard on myself to read certain books aloud to the kids. I do read aloud to the kids but sometimes it’s tough to find one story that they all like and as the kids get older, it’s trickier to make time at the end of the day which is my favorite time to read chapter books. Sometimes, one of the kids wants to read ahead and that’s fine but then they’re less inclined to sit with the rest of us while I’m reading. I also was imposing the book-to-movie standard on audio books (read the book before you watch the movie) unnecessarily. In our experience, listening to books on tape only encourages reading and cultivates a love of stories.
We have enjoyed tons of books as a family in the car on long and short trips. Sometimes we’ll even wait in the garage to hear the end of a chapter. We prefer funny stories with great narrators (our favorite narrators are Keith Knobbs and Johnny Heller but there are lots of other great ones). We’ve even turned off books by favorite authors if we didn’t like the narrator but that hasn’t happened too often. I’ve had pretty good success finding books that appeal to the age range of my family, as well as to my husband and me. The unexpected benefit of enjoying books together is that the common experience helps make us closer. It’s not the only thing we do together, of course, but it’s a good one. We laugh together, talk about the books, quote them, and sometimes share our criticisms. As the kids get older and their individual interests take them in different directions, sharing books has been a comfortable commonality.
We recently listened again to a book that we all fell in love with about 2 years ago. “The Aurora County All-Stars” by Deborah Wiles is a clever, poetic story about baseball and small towns and the people who give them life. Each chapter is introduced by either quotes from baseball greats or an excerpt from “Leaves of Grass”. Wiles’ prose is captivating even to the youngest of my group. Mark was probably 5 when we first listened to the book and he was the one who suggested checking it out again and we enjoyed it as much the second time around. Finally, the story makes a case for playing any game as a way to be part of something greater than the win or loss. (Some day, I’ll address that sorry state of affairs in youth sports in another post).
You all remember Kate Jackson from “Charlie’s Angels”. Admit it, she was never your favorite, mine either. This book changed all that. Jackson’s brilliant narrative brought each character to life from 12-year-old House Jackson, the main character to Phoebe “Scoop” Tolbert, the town gossip columnist.
Even if you don’t listen to “The Aurora County All-Stars”, treat yourself to a book on tape.