John Keating establishes a convincing narrator with his portrayal of Joey, an English farm horse. Keating delivers this story’s differing points of view, making it easy to distinguish between the equine observer and the humans in his world. All too soon, Joey leaves his loving farm boy, Albert, to soldier through the horrors of WWI. Like the classic horse hero Black Beauty, Joey has a string of human owners. Keating characterizes each with credible emotions, accents, and age qualities. Through his portrayals, listeners understand the uniqueness of Joey’s masters, whether Welsh or German. Hearing their distinctly different stories and voices enables listeners to see the humans’ commonality. Each one hates war and bears love and admiration for the courage of this noble steed.
(Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780545285308
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Glick's animated delivery is a great match for this unique peek at a common but surprisingly enigmatic creature.
Maxwell Glick narrates this nonfiction book about eels and scientific exploration with audible amusement and enthusiasm. Glick is humorously upbeat as he reveals how little we actually know about the threatened but once-ubiquitous eel. Young listeners will be able to imagine that they are eels and may be surprised to learn that for many years, people believed Aristotle’s theory that eels sprang spontaneously from mud. Author Day shares interesting tidbits, such as the fact that all American and European eels originate from and eventually return to the Sargasso Sea. But perhaps the most humbling fact is that scientists still don't know everything—especially when it comes to eels.
Glick's animated delivery is a great match for this unique peek at a common but surprisingly enigmatic creature. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 20 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217352708
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
A thoughtful and surprisingly exciting real-life adventure tale about survival and community.
In June 2023, an unknown person abandoned four pet rabbits in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Heights Park. Over the following weeks, neighbors of all ages came together to track and trap the bunnies. Narrator Amy Jensen seamlessly blends humor with a more serious tone as she guides listeners through the extensive rescue operation as well as the origins of the park, the history of rabbit domestication, and the backgrounds of the folks who spent long, tiring days crawling through ivy and scrub to bring the rabbits to safety. Jensen’s cheerful, child-friendly tones are informative and straightforward, including when she details the highs and lows of animal rescue beyond the immediate thrill of success.
A thoughtful and surprisingly exciting real-life adventure tale about survival and community. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 3 hrs, 20 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668659199
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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