Audio Books & Dramas

Contrary to popular opinion, audio books aren't just for the illiterate. In our increasingly auditory and decreasingly restful society, sometimes the only way to "read" books is by listening to them. Consider it story time for adults, except these aren't picture books, and you're more likely to be stuck in rush hour traffic than sitting on the library floor.

Of course, many of the audio books we offer are also for kids. As educators and psychologists learn more about the human mind and its variations, they understand more about learning styles; many people are auditory learners, simply meaning that they learn best by hearing. Listening to stories or history or whatever is a better way to help some kids internalize information than making them stare at a page until they have it memorized.

Education is about more than mere memorization, anyway. It's about absorbing and analyzing the knowledge and attitudes of others, understanding why they act and think the way they do. A good audio book can accomplish this just as well as a good book, and sometimes better—it's less time consuming to listen to a track over and over until you understand than it is to read the same two or three pages.

A lot of audio books aren't that great. Either the recordings are terrible, or the "reader" can't read, or there's too much cheesy music in the background that you're spending more effort wishing Kenny G had never picked up a saxophone than actually listening to the words being read. We've made it a point to carry only those that are high quality, and only quality titles.

We've also made it a point to link to Librivox wherever possible. Librivox is a website offering free audio books from the public domain, most of which are read by unpaid volunteers. As a result, the quality of the readings is all over the place: some are great, some are pretty awful. Still, this is a fantastic resource for free audio books that you can download or listen to online.

From time to time customers have asked why we don't carry more audio books. While we are spent a while expanding our selection, we have since stepped back from that for three main reasons: The advent of smart phones and digital subscription sources like Audible and Chirp is the first; Librivox is the second, and the library is the third. Local library systems are offering an ever-increasing number of audio books, both for checkout and download, and we encourage you to take advantage of that service, especially since it's free.

You'll find mostly classic fiction in this category, with some theology, history, and historical fiction thrown in for good measure. All of these are books you could listen to as a family, though some will be over the heads of younger kids. Whether you're trying to save time, have auditory learners, or simply would rather listen than read, we encourage you to consider audio books as an important and viable supplement to your home school and your life.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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24 Items found Print
Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10)
A Christmas Carol Audio Drama - 2 CD set
by Charles Dickens
from Focus on the Family
for 1st-Adult
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Arabian Nights - Audiobook
by Jim Weiss
from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Greathall Storyteller CDs (Location: CD-WEISS)
Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom - Audio Drama (CD)
from Tyndale House
for 4th-9th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$17.99
By the Shores of Silver Lake - Audio Book (CD)
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Chronicles of Narnia - Audio Book Set
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-9th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$75.00
Collection of Just So Stories - Audiobook
by Jim Weiss
from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Greathall Storyteller CDs (Location: CD-WEISS)
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths - Audio CD
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Yearling
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$25.00
Early American History - Your Story Hour CDs
by Your Story Hour
from Your Story Hour
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines - MP3 Audio Book
by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART)
$9.00
Farmer Boy - Audio CD
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Unabridged from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
First Four Years - Audio CD
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Good Night - Audiobook
by Jim Weiss
from Greathall Productions
for 3rd-8th grade
in Greathall Storyteller CDs (Location: CD-WEISS)
Hobbit - Audio Book CDs
by J. R. R. Tolkien; Andy Serkis (reader)
from Recorded Books, LLC
for 3rd-Adult
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
James Herriot's Treasury for Children - Audio Book (CD)
by James Herriot (read by Jim Dale)
Unabridged from Macmillan
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$11.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Jonathan Park Series 3 - 4 CD set
from Wise King Media
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Jonathan Park Audio Adventures (Location: CD-JONPARK)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Little House in The Big Woods - Audio CD
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Unabridged from HarperCollins
for 3rd-4th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Little House On The Prairie - Audio CD
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Unabridged from HarperCollins
for 1st-6th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Little Town on the Prairie - Audio CD
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Long Winter - Audio CD
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Men of Iron - Audio Book CD
by Howard Pyle
from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 4th-9th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$32.95
Old Mother West Wind - Audio Book on CD
by Thornton W. Burgess, narrated by Laurie Anne Walden
from St. Clare Audio
for 1st-4th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
On the Banks of Plum Creek - Audio CD
Little House Series #4
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1938 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray - MP3 Audio Book
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART)
$11.17
These Happy Golden Years - Audio CD
Little House Series #8
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1944 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$22.06