Classics For Kids: Beverly Cleary Audio Collection

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Tricia

Like many people these days, I’m always on the go, so I love DBRL’s collection of downloadable audiobooks, made available through a service called OverDrive. I simply download and transfer audiobooks to my iPhone (mp3 players and iPods will also play them) and listen to stories while I drive, walk the dog, wash the dishes, exercise, etc.

Many kids’ titles are available for download, both new books and classics. These are great for families to listen to during long car trips. Audiobooks can also be a good transitional tool for reluctant readers, either alone or with the print copy to follow along. Some books are even better to listen to, when the narrators do a good job of dramatizing the story.

I recently decided to check out “The Beverly Cleary Audio Collection” because it had six books in one download. Continue reading →

Classics for Kids: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Lauren

Practically every kid has dreamed of running away from home, or at least embarking on an adventure of some sort. Personally, I’ve always fantasized about secretly lingering after-hours and spending the night someplace I shouldn’t, like a candy shop, a bookstore or a museum. Perhaps this is why I love, love, love “From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” (1967) by E. L. Konigsburg.

Twelve-year-old Claudia and her brother Jamie (selected as her partner-in-crime for the sizable sum he has saved in his piggy bank) run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The sharp and responsible (well, except for the running away part) Claudia has meticulously planned their escape, and the kids cleverly use the resources of the museum to get by. They sleep in a royal bed and pilfer money from the fountain. After a few nights in the museum, Claudia sees a statue so beautiful, she feels compelled to identify its sculptor and perhaps become famous in the process. To find out the statue’s origin, she must visit its former owner, the elderly Mrs. Frankweiler.

Snappy, funny dialogue. Living in a gorgeous museum among exquisite art. Running away to one of the world’s most exciting cities. Solving a mystery. What’s not to love? Put this book in the hands of your favorite precocious kiddo (or adult). They will thank you for it.

Classics for Kids: Anne of Green Gables

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Lauren

I’m the mama of a spunky, freckled redhead, so it is no wonder that I am partial to heroines like Anne Shirley, the spunky, freckled and redheaded main character of ”Anne of Green Gables” (1908) by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Anne is an orphan who is sent by mistake to live with a middle-aged brother and sister on Prince Edward Island. Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert were expecting a strong young boy to help out on the farm, and at first Marilla wants to send Anne back to the orphanage. Kind-hearted Matthew convinces his sister to let Anne stay, and over the course of the book the reserved Marilla lets herself be won over by Anne’s spirit and intelligence, deciding to overlook the mischief into which Anne’s imagination often leads her. Continue reading →

Classics for Kids: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Lauren

Before Judy Garland and her ruby slippers, there was author L. Frank Baum and “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” In the original tale, the shoes Dorothy takes from the Wicked Witch of the East flash silver instead of red, and the differences between book and movie don’t end there. Additional characters and settings make Oz new even to those of us who have sung “Over the Rainbow” in front of our television sets countless times.

“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” is at heart a quest story and an American fairy tale. Dorothy must overcome a series of obstacles (lions and tigers and bears!) to destroy a witch and find her way home to Kansas. Dorothy’s spirited independence and resourcefulness make her a particularly appealing heroine. Throw in a magical land, talking inanimate objects and a wizard, and what’s not to love?

Want to experience Hampstead Stage Company’s adapted version of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” coming to the Columbia Public Library on July 5 and 6? Find out how!

Classics for Kids: Winnie-the-Pooh

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Lauren

I knew that becoming a parent would bring many joys – my baby’s first loving smile, the feel of a chubby fist wrapping around my finger, first words and the endless diapers changes. Okay, just kidding about that last one. But what makes the diapering more bearable is the great happiness of rediscovering the classic tales I loved as a child. “Winnie-the-Pooh” is one of these favorites.

In 1926 A. A. Milne first introduced the world to Christopher Robin and his animal friends living in the Hundred Acre Wood. Pooh uses a balloon to get honey, Piglet meets a Heffalump, Eeyore has a birthday and the whole lot go “expotitioning.” Continue reading →