Ten of the Best: Audio Books on CD for Children
BfK invited Julia Eccleshare to choose her ‘ten of the best’ audio books for young readers. She explains how she went about it:
I love audio books mostly because, for me, being able to grasp the shape of a story as it unfolds is far easier aurally than visually: plots make more sense that way. But, at the same time, I don’t like being whipped or hurried into a false sense of enjoyment. So, all the books I’ve chosen are read by firm but gentle readers who hold the listeners’ attention absolutely but don’t over interpret; they don’t do excessive voices or emotions. They trust the author’s words to do that and just read them with intelligence so that the listener gets all the points effortlessly. And they make very happy listening.
The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, read by Imelda Staunton, Macmillan, 978 1 4050 0518 0, £5.99
The best-selling Gruffalo is one of the easier picture books to adapt for audio given the quality of Julia Donaldson’s rhyming text which means even a novice reader can read it fluently and with verve. Readers are helped too by the fact that most of the text is delivered by the clearly defined different characters – the Little Mouse, the frightening creatures it encounters and the Gruffalo itself – each obviously with its own voice. But, Imelda Staunton takes it an extra mile by bringing out every ounce of battle between apparent bravery and the real terror that lies behind the story, so leading effortlessly to the sly trickery that lies behind final joke. (2+)
Horrid Henry Wakes the Dead
Francesca Simon, read by Miranda Richardson, Orion, 978 1 4091 0141 3, £6.99
Horrid Henry shows no signs of running out of terrible things to do. In fact, as the stories continue, Henry becomes more interesting as he gets to be more cunning and less straightforwardly bad. Miranda Richardson remains admirably deadpan as she charts Henry’s progress in persecuting Perfect Pete. She also gets Pete on exactly the right side of obnoxious. The lowest depth of sibling rivalry has never been so well observed. (7+)
Cliffhanger
Jacqueline Wilson, read by Stephen Tompkinson, BBC, 978 1 40840108 8, £4.90
Jacqueline Wilson is often thought to write only about girls but Cliffhanger shows just how good she is at writing about boys too. Timid Tim is sent on an adventure holiday on which he is absolutely sure everything will go wrong. His letters home amusingly capture his pessimistic gloom until he meets Biscuits (quite one of the nicest boys in fiction) and the world begins to look a better place. Quietly, Stephen Tompkinson lets Tim’s changing confidence take shape and soar. (8+)
I Believe in Unicorns
Michael Morpurgo, read by Michael Morpurgo, Walker, 978 1 4063 2203 3, £6.99
Fittingly, the opening chapter of this narrative is a gripping episode in which a boy is turned into a lover of stories by the librarian who fires his imagination by reading aloud… And Michael Morpurgo himself fires the imagination of his listeners as he reads this touching story about how believing gives hope. It is set against a background of war torn Europe. (8+)
Just William
Richmal Crompton, read by Martin Jarvis, BBC, 978 1 85549 057 4, £19.56
Richmal Crompton’s William Brown is one of the best-loved characters on audio. Already popular in print, he has been brought to a new generation of readers who might have been deterred by some of the old-fashioned details of the stories or who might, more importantly, have lost some of the wonderful social nuances which are rife throughout. Martin Jarvis cuts through any such difficulties. Picking up on how Crompton created him, Jarvis’s William Brown is a rounded character known best through his own dialogue but also in Crompton’s brilliant descriptions which Jarvis delivers faultlessly. Other characters, most obviously the infamous Violet Elizabeth Bott and her wonderfully awful mother, are equally entertaining. Martin Jarvis adopts an affectionate but mildly despairing tone as he reads; in doing so he gives listeners a perfect introduction into these classic stories. (9+)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
J K Rowling, read by Stephen Fry, BBC, 978 1 85549 670 5, £25.44
Neither the book nor its reading need any introduction as both have been exceptional bestsellers. But, Stephen Fry deserves enormous credit and a huge vote of gratitude from his many listeners for bringing the books alive in readings which, mostly at any rate, manage to gloss over some of the weaker aspects of Rowling’s writing. Since that includes the dialogue in particular, it is quite an achievement. Fry makes the descriptions soar, the plot excite and the many different characters easily distinguishable without giving them excessive voices. (9+)
Vox
Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, read by Alex Jennings, Random House, 978 1 85686 877 8, £12.72
On the face of it, the magnificent Edge Chronicles are an unlikely choice for a really successful audio adaptation given that part of their charm in the books lies in Chris Riddell’s wonderful illustrations. But Alex Jennings’s skilful reading and in particular his subtle and varied use of different voices gives each character as much of an identity as the original illustrations. In Vox, part 2 of the The Rook Trilogy, Jennings brings suitably subtle menace to Vox Verlix, the evil schemer who threatens to bring down the Edgeworld. (9+)
SilverFin
Charlie Higson, read by Charlie Higson, Puffin, 978 0 14 180603 7, £12.99
The idea of a story about James Bond, the schoolboy, was a good one: asking Charlie Higson to write it was inspired. While still a boy at Eton, James Bond’s escapades around the College already show his signature bravery and love of adventure. He also displays his famous ability to attract the wrath of some powerful enemies. Charlie Higson reads his story with exactly the right insouciance. (9+)
Wolf Brother
Michelle Paver, read by Ian McKellen, Orion, 978 0 7528 6803 5, £16.99
Ian McKellen’s resonant voice has a sense of absolute conviction which makes it perfect for capturing Michelle Paver’s brilliantly conceived ancient world. McKellen brings alive both the life saving friendship between the young boy Torak and the wolf cub who is his only companion and the awesome scenery of the treacherous countryside through which they travel. There is a mesmerising quality to this reading which reels the listener into the carefully described and fully detailed world making it a perfect match for the story. (9+)
Stormbreaker
Anthony Horowitz, read by Oliver Chris, Walker, 978 1 84428 769 7, £19.99
The action surrounding Alex Rider, the boy hero at the heart of Stormbreaker and its sequels, propels this dramatic story at a breakneck pace. Throughout, Alex speaks convincingly, managing to retain a boyish sense of enquiry despite the very adult exploits he’s thrown into. Oliver Chris’s young voice and brisk reading enhances Alex Rider’s authenticity as the daring adventures unfold. (9+)
Julia Eccleshare is the children’s book editor of the Guardian and the co-director of CLPE (The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education).
