Animal Tales: Raccoon, Bear and Coyote (PlainTales Explorers) [Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Melody Warnick (Author), Tavia Gilbert (Reader), Steven McLaughlin (Reader)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: PlainTales Explorers

To survive a bleak winter, Hazard the coyote must find food for his pack, even if it puts him in grave danger. Finally on his own, a young raccoon named Lotor needs to find a new home before a predator finds him. Osa the brown bear builds the perfect winter den with less-than-perfect results. These stories about fictional animal friends are rich with detail about real animal behaviors, so children learn as they enjoy the fun.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Melody Warnick is a mother of two and a nationally recognized freelance writer, who strives to tackle subjects that are important to women and families everywhere, such as parenting, relationships, pregnancy, personal finance, home organization and self-help. She has been featured in national and regional magazines like Parenting, Better Home & Gardens and Ladies Home Journal as well as websites like epregnancy, and she has won many awards for personal essays and magazine features. She lives in Arnes, Iowa. Tavia Gilbert narrates audiobooks, acts in plays, and sings Renaissance music. She studied acting at Cornish College of the Arts and radio at the Salt Institute. Tavia was born in Idaho, moved to Seattle, and now lives in Portland, Maine. Find out more about Tavia on her website at: taviagilbert.com. Stephen McLaughlin has studied philosophy and English and performed in and directed plays and audiobooks. He is also a musician and an artist. Stephen was born in Washington, D.C., rode his 1960 Triumph Thunderbird for a while in England, and now lives in Maine, where he divides his time between Portland and Brooklin.

From AudioFile

Three vignettes of forest life chronicle raccoon's bravery, bear's determination, and coyote's cunning. The short tales provide gentle drama well suited for young children. The pacing is slow enough for listeners to comprehend details of setting as well as narrative. Plus, children will learn informative wildlife facts along with enjoying the stories. Tavia Gilbert and Stephen McLaughlin employ a laid-back narrative style, presenting the texts without overacting or frightening young children. McLaughlin makes some animal noises and uses a baritone voice for the human rancher, but overall the stories are simply presented as fits their unassuming nature. Sadly, breathing noises are conspicuous and distracting throughout. Greater attention to this technical detail would improve the recording quality. C.A. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Audio CD
• Publisher: PlainTales, Inc.; Unabridged edition edition (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982028245
• ISBN-13: 978-0982028247
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,514,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good story, October 5, 2009

By 

J. Beck (Laurel, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Animal Tales: Raccoon, Bear and Coyote (PlainTales Explorers) (Audio CD)

We were tired from a long day of school and work and it was raining on the drive home. We didn't feeling like
listening to our usual rock/pop music but didn't have the energy to entertain ourselves with conversation. We put this CD in and quietly listened to the stories. We pulled in the driveway, closed our eyes, and let
the stories of racoon's fight over his marshmallow treasures, Bear's home is where the heart is and coyote's hunger quest fill our minds and relax our bodies. We rested and listened. It was very entertaining and enjoyable for both us!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating Nature Stories!, March 8, 2009

By 

Amy L. Davidson "happy me ald" (north georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Animal Tales: Raccoon, Bear and Coyote (PlainTales Explorers) (Audio CD)

A delightful set of stories about three different animals and a little piece out of their daily lives. These are definitely what I call "living stories" The tales were masterfully woven and children learn all sorts of wonderful things about how the animals live, what it eats, how it acts BUT the child never knows that they are actually "learning" anything because the stories are so captivating. The well-chosen, descriptive vocabulary brings the animals alive, you can actually see them on the movie screen in your mind!

Thanks Melody Warnick, your keen observation of the animal world and your enchanting communication made these an enjoyable hour for my family! The only complaint we had about these stories is that they came to an end too quickly!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, especially for long car trips or rainy day listening fun, February 15, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animal Tales: Raccoon, Bear and Coyote (PlainTales Explorers) (Audio CD)

The "Plain Tales" series consists of brief audiobooks, each on a single CD, that retell classic stories suitable for all ages. "Animal Tales: Raccoon, Bear & Coyote" has three stories about the titular creatures, from a coyote struggling to survive a bleak winter to a young raccoon searching for shelter from predators to a brown bear who seeks to build the perfect winter den. Highly recommended, especially for long car trips or rainy day listening fun, and excellent additions to public library audiobook collections for children.