Audiobooks for Kids: VOX Books
Have you heard of VOX Books? According to their website, “VOX™ Books are the world’s first audiobooks that live in print books. The permanently attached VOX Reader transforms an ordinary print book into an all-in-one read-along.” Plano Public Library has 150 VOX Books available at the time of this blog post.
A quick intro to VOX Books:
- Each hardcover book comes with a full audio recording
- No CDs, batteries, computer, device, or internet connection are required
- Titles come with both a speaker and an audio jack
- A safety feature automatically lowers the volume when earbuds are plugged in
- A micro-USB port allows for easy home charging
VOX Books are usually with Wonderbooks (very similar audiobook/print book setup), and contain picturebooks (Easy), Early Reader, Junior fiction and Junior non-fiction. Some are in Spanish and Chinese, in addition to English. Here are a few from the collection:
VOX Easy
The Loud Librarian by Jenna Beatrice Print
When loud-voiced Penelope becomes student-librarian, she is determined to prove she is perfect for the job while staying true to herself.
Rick the Rock of Room 214 by Julie Falatko Print
Tired of sitting all day on the Nature Finds shelf in Room 214, a rock named Rick escapes the classroom for the great outdoors, only to discover that sometimes the greatest adventure in life is friendship.
The Sour Grape by Jory John Print
The Sour Grape holds grudges for every reason under the sun. Lime never returned a scarf they borrowed? Grudge! Orange never called back? Grudge! But when a friend holds a grudge against the Sour Grape without listening to an explanation, the Sour Grape realizes how unfair grudges can be. Could a bunch of forgiveness and compassion be enough to turn a sour grape sweet?
Tierra, Tierrita (Earth, Little Earth/tal, talchin) by Jorge Argueta Print
Containing the English and Spanish text on each page, the entire poem appears at the end in Nahuat, the language of Argueta’s Pipil-Nahua ancestors. In the fourth installment of their award-winning Madre Tierra / Mother Earth series of trilingual picture books about the natural world, Jorge Argueta and Felipe Ugalde Alcántara collaborate again to introduce Mother Earth, who is “full of all the colors / and all the flavors.”
Vámonos: Mexican Folk Art Transport by Cynthia Weill Print
An introduction in English and Spanish to different methods of transportation.
VOX Early Readers
The Funny Book by Vikram Madan Print
A super funny book has Pup-Pup literally laughing out loud!! Bobo wants to read it so he can laugh too, but he must wait till Pup-Pup is finished. But the more Pup-Pup laughs, the harder it is to wait! All kids know that waiting is not easy!! What happens when Bobo’s patience runs out and he takes matters into his own hands?
Frank and Bean by Jamie Michalak Print
Frank likes peace and quiet. He likes his tent, his pencil, and writing in his secret notebook. Bean likes noise. He likes his bus, his trumpet — toot, toot! — and making music. Loud music. But Bean is missing something: he does not have words. What will happen if Frank shares his words with Bean?
VOX Junior
Tasmanian Devils by Rachel Koestler-Grack Print
Relevant images match informative text in this introduction to Tasmanian devils. Intended for students in kindergarten through third grade.
Sadiq and the Pet Problem by Siman Nuurali Print
Sadiq’s third grade class decides that they want a classroom pet, and their teacher, Ms. Battersby, is okay with the idea, so the students form a club to decide what kind of pet to get, and to research how to take care of it.
Mega-Predators of the Past by Melissa Stewart Print
Travel back to prehistoric times and meet some of the most impressive creatures to ever roam the Earth. You’ll be amazed at the size and the fierceness of these lesser-known predators, many of them ancient ancestors of animals that we still see today.
El niño de maíz (The boy of maize) by Mario Bencastro Print
In this version of the Mayan origin story, the child Balám travels to a village on the back of a big blue turtle, but he is preceded by a louse, a toad, a snake, and a hawk, all carrying the good news of his arrival.
