Mediagraphy of Audiobooks for Children and Young Adults
Selections from the
ALA/ALSC Notable Children’s Recordings Lists
Based on Newbery Medal Winners and Honor Books
Introduction/Need/Purpose of Mediagraphy
Books and Audiobooks side-by-side in a classroom? Yes, it is true! Audiobooks are becoming popular alternatives to reading books or assigning books for assignments in the classroom. With this increasing popularity in mind, this mediagraphy provides information on selected audiobooks that were recorded from books that received the American Library Association (ALA)/Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) Newbery Medal or Honor. These audiobooks, based on Newbery Medal winners and Honor books, were also chosen to be on the lists of the American Library Association (ALA)/Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) Notable Children’s Recordings.
Teachers, as part of literature studies, often assign Newbery Medal Winners and Honor books. Some students may have difficulty reading and comprehending a book. Audiobooks have been shown to help students develop critical thinking skills and active listening, which are comprehension skills needed in reading. There are students whose learning styles can be auditory and this makes it more suitable for him or her to listen to an audiobook. The learning experience for students with an auditory learning style and their ability to use audiobooks for assignments will allow them to participate fully with their classmates whose learning style is print-based. Some students may also benefit if they listen to the audiobook, while following along with the book. Students whose reading abilities improve by listening to an audiobook could begin to view reading as a positive activity and may seek out other books to read.
The Mediagraphy is intended to serve as a guide in helping teachers, library media specialists, children and young adult librarians, and students increase their knowledge of award-winning audiobooks. It can also be used to promote the usage of audiobooks in the classroom.
Selection Criteria
The ALA/ALSC Notable Children’s Recordings lists, “…includes recordings released in the US during [the previous year]. It is intended to promote the selection and use of the highest quality recordings in schools, libraries and homes, and to encourage the production of an ever-increasing number of excellent recordings for children”. (ALSC Notables web site)
This Mediagraphy of audiobooks has been chosen from the lists of ALA/ALSC Notable Children’s Recordings and were selected using the following criteria:
- The audiobook received the Newbery Medal or Honor.
- The audiobook has two (2) published reviews from reputable selection sources that were written specifically for the sound recording.
- The audiobook is owned by the Dayton Metro Library system.
Title Index
A Title Index, arranged in alphabetical order and featuring cover art from the books, can also access the Mediagraphy.
Other Resources
Dayton Metro Library
If you are interested in any of the ALA/ALSC Newbery Medal Winners and Honor books that this Mediagraphy of ALA/ALSC Notable Recordings are based on, check out the Dayton Metro Library’s web site to search by author, title, or keyword for the book you would like to read.
The Dayton Metro Library also has these resources in its collection:
Gillespie, John Thomas and Corinne J. Naden. The Newbery companion: booktalk and related materials for Newbery and Honor books. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, c2001.
Story-Hoffman, Ru. Newbery on the Net: reading & Internet activities. Ft. Atkinson, WI: Alleyside Press, c1998.
Web Sites:
ALA/ALSC Awards web site: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awards.html. Lists all of the awards/honors/notables for ALA/ALSC.
Includes links to the Notables lists.
ALA/ALSC Newbery Medal Home Page: http://www.ala.org/alsc/newbery.html. This web site features information and cover art from the 2003 Newbery Medal Winner and Honor books. It also includes information concerning the Medal, how it is awarded, and the terms and criteria. There is also a PDF file of Medal and Honor books from 1922-present.
Eduscapes web site: http://eduscapes.com/newbery/new.html. This web site includes a section on “Newberys and the Net: Thematic Technology Connections”. It gives ideas for activities that can be done in conjunction with Newbery Medal and Honor books, from 1924-2002. It should be noted that the site is still under construction and not every Newbery Medal or Honor book is listed.
Uses of the Mediagraphy
The following activities can be used with students to help them interact with audiobooks:
· Art- create different art projects related to the audiobook that they listened too.
· Bio-Poem – write and/or record a bio-poem about one of the characters from an audiobook.
· Discussions-an entire class could listen to an audiobook and discuss specific elements of it.
· Journal –listen to the audiobook and keep a written journal of the different characters, the storyline, and anything that they find interesting they would want to write about.
· Letters- write a letter to the author asking specific questions about their career, their award-winning book, the writing process, and hearing their book as an audiobook. Write a letter to the narrator asking specific questions about their career and the audiobook recording process.
· Reviews-write a review about the audiobook they listened to and compare it with reviews from professional selection sources they find online.
· Vocabulary-keep a written record of new words that the listener has never heard before.
Public libraries could promote the award-winning audiobooks in this Mediagraphy, including other audiobooks recorded from books that won the Newbery Medal or Honor with these activities:
· Newbery Month-Public libraries could promote a month during the school year as Newbery Month, in conjunction with their local schools. Displays would include Newbery Medal and Honor books with their audiobook counterparts. Bookmarks and Bibliographies would be available.
· Art exhibit/Art contest-Public libraries could sponsor an art exhibit or art contest featuring art created or inspired by Newbery Award or Honor books.
This Mediagraphy was created by Pat Clingman
Last updated 3/27/03