The House That Jack Built

The classic cumulative rhyme is brought to life as Sara reads The House That Jack Built.

The House That Jack Built

Anonymous

Direct link: jack.mp3
Total time: 1:53 minutes

A Visit From St. Nicholas

A beloved Christmas poem gets the library treatment as Kathryn reads Clement C. Moore’s A Visit From St. Nicholas.

A Visit From St. Nicholas

written by Clement C. Moore

Direct link: christmas.mp3

Total time: 3:37 minutes

Mother Goose

Nursery rhymes come in all shapes and sizes. Listen as our children’s staff read some of their favorite Mother Goose rhymes.

Direct link: mother_goose.mp3

Total time: 3:16 minutes

Big Momma Makes the World

Big Momma is busy with all her work. She’s making a world, but she’s also got to care for her baby and get to all that laundry that’s piled up. So, what’s Big Momma to do? Sara reads Big Momma Makes the World by Phyllis Root.

Big Momma Makes the World
written by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
published by Candlewick Press, copyright 2002

BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD. Text copyright © 2002 by Phyllis Root. Illustrations copyright © 2002 by Helen Oxenbury. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA.

Direct link: momma.mp3
Total time: 6:07 minutes

ETA: Link to mp3 recording removed per agreement with publisher.

Rattletrap Car

It is a hot day, and Poppa and the kids decide to go to the lake to cool off. Unfortunately, their car may not make it. What will they do when it breaks down? Will they ever get to the lake? Miss Diane reads Phyllis Root’s Rattletrap Car.

Rattletrap Car
written by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Jill Barton
published by Candlewick Press, copyright 2001

RATTLETRAP CAR. Text copyright © 2001 by Phyllis Root. Illustrations copyright © by Jill Barton. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA.

Direct link: rattletrap.mp3
Total time: 4:39 minutes

ETA: Link to mp3 recording removed per agreement with publisher.

The Librarian of Basra

Alia Muhammad Baker is a librarian in the city of Basra in southern Iraq. In this true story, Alia does whatever she can to protect the books in her library before war comes to her city. Will she be able to save all the books? Sara reads The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter.

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq
written & illustrated by Jeanette Winter
published by Harcourt, copyright 2005

THE LIBRARIAN OF BASRA: A TRUE STORY FROM IRAQ, copyright © 2005 by Jeanette Winter, reproduced by permission of Harcourt, Inc. This material may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Direct link: librarian.mp3
Total time: 3:21 minutes

ETA: Link to mp3 recording removed per agreement with publisher. Please see our list of other titles featuring libraries.

Cautionary Tales for Children (excerpt)

Hear the sad tale of Jim who went with his nurse on a fateful trip to the zoo, and learn an important lesson from the boy’s tragic tale. Tom reads the Hilaire Belloc’s poem “Jim, Who Ran Away from His Nurse and Was Eaten by a Lion” from Cautionary Tales for Children.

Cautionary Tales for Children
written by Hilaire Belloc, illustrated by Edward Gorey
published by Harcourt, copyright 2002

Direct link: cautionary.mp3

Total time: 2:37 minutes