ALA Recommended Listening

List of links to ALA's recommended and award-winning audio, including music and spoken-word recordings and audiobooks for all ages, sorted by age group. Includes resources for librarians and educators on audio and music collections and on storytelling and booktalking programs.

This page is compiled by the ALA Library. Contact us at library@ala.org with any questions.

For Children | For Young Adults/Teens | Odyssey Award | For Adults | Resources and Publications for Librarians and Educators

News Spotlight Lists

YALSA names 2013 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults

Brilliance Audio wins 2013 Odyssey Award for The Fault in Our Stars

RUSA's 2013 Listen List highlights audiobooks that provide extraordinary listening experiences

Booklist announces influential 2012 Top of the List selections (December 2012)
- Audio: Code Name Verity, written by Elizabeth Wein, read by Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell (Bolinda)

For Children

• Booklist Editors' Choice: Media, 2012 (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the Audio for Youth section; younger grade levels indicated)

• 2013 Notable Children's Recordings

  Previous Notable Children's Recordings Lists (1996 to the present only available online)

For Young Adults/Teens

• YALSA names 2013 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults - 2013 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Top Ten - Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults

  Previous Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults / Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults (all previous lists, from 1999 to the present, available online)

• Booklist Editors' Choice: Media, 2012 (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the Audio for Youth section; older grade levels indicated)

ALSC/Booklist/YALSA Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production

Given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults available in English in the United States

• Brilliance Audio wins 2013 Odyssey Award for The Fault in Our Stars - Odyssey Award

  Previous Odyssey Award Winner and Honor Audiobooks (all previous lists available online, from 2008 to the present)

For Adults

• Booklist Editors' Choice: Media, 2012 (scroll down to the center of the page for the Audio for Adults section
• RUSA's 2013 Listen List highlights audiobooks that provide extraordinary listening experiences - The Listen List: Outstanding Audiobook Narration

  Previous Listen Lists (all previous lists, from 2012 to the present, available online)

Resources and Publications for Librarians and Educators

Audiobooks, Music

• ALA's audiobook blog, Audiobooker: A Booklist Blog -- Mary Burkey, a teacher, librarian, and audiobook addict, writes about listening, learning, and the joy of headsets. Be sure to see the March 8, 2009 entry, Audiobook Research & Resources.

• Balkin, Dr. Al. Tune Up to Literacy: Original Songs and Activities for Kids. Chicago: American Library Association, 2009.

• Byrd, Susannah Mississippi. ¡Bienvenidos! ¡Welcome!: a Handy Resource Guide for Marketing Your Library to Latinos. Chicago, Ill: American Library Association, 2005 (includes Spanish-Language Marketplace list of audio publishers).

• Fling, R. Michael. Guide to Developing a Library Music Collection. Chicago: American Library Association, 2008.

• Mates, Barbara T. 5-Star Programming and Services for Your 55+ Library Customers. ALA programming guides. Chicago: American Library Association, 2003.

• Reid, Rob. Children's Jukebox, Second Edition: The Select Subject Guide to Children's Musical Recordings. Chicago: American Library Association, 2007.

• Reid, Rob. Something Musical Happened at the Library: Adding Song and Dance to Children's Story Programs. Chicago: American Library Association, 2007.

Storytimes, Booktalks

• Bauer, Caroline Feller and Lynn Gates Bredeson. Caroline Feller Bauer's New Handbook for Storytellers: With Stories, Poems, Magic, and More. Chicago, Ill: ALA, 1993.

• Briggs, Diane and Thomas Briggs. Preschool Favorites: 35 Storytimes Kids Love. Chicago: American Library Association, 2007.

• Diamant-Cohen, Betsy and Selma K. Levi. Booktalking Bonanza: Ten Ready-to-Use Multimedia Sessions for the Busy Librarian. Chicago: American Library Association, 2009.

• Grover, Sharon and Lizette D. Hannegan. Listening to Learn: Audiobooks Supporting Literacy. Chicago: American Library Association, 2011.

• MacMillan, Kathy. A Box Full of Tales: Easy Ways to Share Library Resources Through Story Boxes. Chicago: American Library Association, 2008.

• Marek, Kate. Organizational Storytelling for Librarians: Using Stories for Effective Leadership. Chicago: American Library Association, 2011.

• Public Library Association in partnership with the West Bloomfield Township (MI) Public Library. Nursery Rhymes, Songs and Fingerplays: Rhyming words will lead to teaching children how to read! (Packet of 50) (20-page booklet). Chicago: American Library Association.

• Reid, Rob. Cool Story Programs for the School-Age Crowd. Chicago: American Library Association, 2004.

• Reid, Rob. Family Storytime: Twenty-Four Creative Programs for All Ages. Chicago: American Library Association, 1999 (read Reid's March 2009 Book Links Classroom Connections preschool through elementary school article, "Family Storytime: Frogs, Snakes, Turtles, Gators, and Crocs" (PDF) and his "Family Storytime" article with "Reid's Read-Aloud Tips" sidebar (PDF) from the May 2009 issue of American Libraries).

• Reid, Rob. More Family Storytimes: Twenty-four Creative Programs for All Ages. Chicago: American Library Association, 2008 (PDF excerpt of More Family Storytimes includes table of contents and Wild Critters Program chapter).

• Reid, Rob. Reid's Read-Alouds: Selections for Children and Teens. Chicago: American Library Association, 2009.

• Reid, Rob. Reid's Read-Alouds 2: Modern-Day Classics from C.S. Lewis to Lemony Snicket. Chicago: American Library Association, 2011 (PDF excerpt of Reid's Read-Alouds 2 includes table of contents, introduction).

• Treviño, Rose Zertuche. Read Me a Rhyme in Spanish and English. Chicago: American Library Association, 2009 (PDF excerpt of Read Me a Rhyme in Spanish and English includes table of contents and Chapter 1: Reading Begins at Home, El gusto por leer comienza en la casa).

This page is part of ALA Recommends... compiled by the ALA Library. Contact us at library@ala.org with any questions. See the other lists of recommendations compiled by ALA member committees - ALA Recommended Reading: List of links to ALA's literature award winners and various notable reading lists for all ages, sorted by age group; ALA Recommended Viewing: List of links to ALA's recommended DVDs and videos for all ages, sorted by age group; and ALA Recommended Web Sites: List of links to ALA's recommended web sites for all ages, sorted by age group.

Last updated: February 2013

For more information on this or other fact sheets, contact the ALA Library Reference Desk by telephone: 800-545-2433, extension 2153; fax: 312-280-3255; e-mail: library@ala.org; or regular mail: ALA Library, American Library Association, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611.