November Book Blog 10 books for you to listen to

10 books for you to listen to

We all know that reading to young children helps them to become more proficient readers but why should this practice cease so early in our lives? Listening to a book being read aloud allows the reader to interpret and understand the text in exactly the same way that they would if they were reading text from the page.

When listening to a book the reader encounters the same vocabulary, meets the same characters and becomes aware of the same events as any other reader, but without needing to decode the printed marks on the page. Audio books also have the added bonus of being able to be read almost anywhere and you can read them whilst you are doing other things like the washing up or driving the car!

Walliams reads this book himself and unsurprisingly he is incredibly expressive. He adds brilliant voices for all of the characters bringing his words to life. His stories often involve a twisted reality and in this tale a group of animals are creating a rocket or Hippoporocket which will be powered by rhinoceros dung!

Tom and Dougie first became famous for their singing and are now also well known for their funny picture books. Poop and dinosaurs are ideal features to include when creating a picture book which will make both adults and children laugh. Danny (a boy) and Dino (a dinosaur) decide to go to space together. Problems arise when Danny realises he has forgotten Dino’s lunch box and Dino is getting hungry. Dino starts to eat everything in sight, including their way of getting home. Fortunately Danny knows that whatever has gone inside Dino will have to come out again and in this case that will be via Dino’s bottom!

With Horrid Henry it’s easy to recognise yourself or someone you know in the characters. The stories are fun, light and entertaining. Miranda Richardson adds to them with her fantastically expressive voice easily creating images in the head of the listener. Listeners can enjoy Horrid Henry trying to be perfect for one day, learning to dance and arguing with his arch enemy Moody Margaret.

Cressida Cowell manages to mix some factual history about Viking life with lots of dragons and non-facts. The book is engaging and entertaining and is brought to life by David Tennant’s dulcet Scottish voice.

In this book Tony Robinson picks out lots of intriguing facts, titbits and lively anecdotes. Listeners will find silly, strange and disgusting elements that fans of Horrible Histories will love. As well as the jokes and quirky facts this book offers an accurate overview of the history of World War II with Robinson's enthusiasm for his subject coming across.

You get a very unusual view of life if the people bringing you up in place of your parents are ghosts, especially when some of those ghosts died over 100 years ago. The cemetery becomes an unlikely place of safety for Bod after his family are murdered. Always expect the unexpected from the weird and wonderful Neil Gaiman and you won’t be disappointed!

Eragon is a young farm boy who finds a strange polished stone in a forest. His initial thought is that he can sell the stone and use the money to ensure his family has food for the coming winter. He is unprepared for a dragon to hatch from the egg and quickly realise that this has changed his life forever. He travels across the empire with his dragon, running and even flying from danger and being taught the skills he needs along the way. Gradually he becomes aware that the future of the empire is linked closely to his own.

Malorie Blackman is a prolific novelist and self-confessed geek. In Noble Conflict she has created a world where the terrorists attacking the city are dealt with in what appear to be humane ways. When Kaspar, one of the city’s guardians, digs deeper he finds that things are not as they seem.

Many libraries loan audio books and they can easily be down loaded. Depending on the site you use you may be able to download your first book for free. For more information on how to start using audio books, click here.