Print & Audiobook Pairs
Listening to an audiobook while simultaneously reading the print version of the book can be very beneficial for children: increasing their reading speed, expanding vocabulary, improving fluency and comprehension, teaching pronunciation and critical listening skills, boosting reading confidence, and allowing students to read above level.
The Stratford Library offers audiobooks in several different formats: on CD, via our digital audiobook collections (Hoopla, OverDrive, and Tumblebook Library) and on Playaway. Playaways are small, battery-powered players. Children just plug in their personal earbuds and listen! The Stratford Library owns hundreds of Playaways, many of which have matching print books in the Children’s department. Here are some examples.
Easy Readers and Picture Books
I Spy Fly Guy! By Tedd Arnold
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor
Curious George Flies a Kite by Margret Rey
Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant
Epossumondas by Coleen Salley
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
The Teacher From the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler
Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
Chapter Fiction Books
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Posted by John David Anderson
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Flat Stanley: Framed in France by Jeff Brown
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: The New Girl by Meg Cabot
Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
No Talking by Andrew Clements
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Blended by Sharon Draper
The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
Mr. and Mrs. Bunny–Detectives Extraordinaire by Polly Horvath
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
Judy Moody, Girl Detective by Megan McDonald
The Whatever After series by Sarah Mlynowski
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Dork Diaries series by Rachel Russell
A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket
The I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis