Listen Up!

There's nothing like a good book. Nothing like feeling it in your hands, turning the pages, delighting in the written words inside. Children share that same attraction, and some days would love it if you would just sit with them and read all day long! When that happens, and you’re short on time, never fear ~ audiobooks to the rescue!

In the past, there were audio cassettes, and then CDs. These days the library offers several other audio formats to match your busy lifestyle. While audio cassettes have gone the way of the dinosaurs, CD books are still alive and well on the shelves, and today there are several digital audio formats from which to choose, so there's bound to be one that suits your lifestyle and time constraints. eAudiobooks are plentiful, and listed in our catalog along with their print counterparts. Playaways are pre-loaded MP3 audio books, featured in both the adult and children's collections. Our Tumblebook Library for young readers also gives you loads of choices of fiction and nonfiction titles that are suitable for children of all ages.

Hoopla, a benefit accessible through the library’s web site, features eBooks, music, movies, comics, and more. Items are always available and ready to be downloaded quickly and easily onto your computer, tablet, or phone, or streamed through your device so you can take them with you when you’re on the move. During the month of March, the regular limit of ten free downloadable items from Hoopla has been doubled to twenty! The kids' version of Hoopla offers children's stories, movies and more for young listeners' pleasure.

So give a book a listen. Don’t be surprised if you and your children discover some narrators you really like, and find yourself seeking out anything they’ve done. You're not cheating by listening instead of reading; you're just being smart, taking advantage of all of the wonderful resources available to you!

Guest post by Bridget W. 

Just Say No to Background Noise!

Have you ever had one of those moments when background noise suddenly disappears and your whole body automatically relaxes almost instantaneously? For me, sometimes it’s a noise that I haven’t even noticed is bothering me until it’s gone, and only then do I realize how distracting it actually was. It seems like, as adults, we have a stronger preference than kids do for good old-fashioned peace and quiet, especially when we’re trying to carry on a conversation or complete a task. New research shows, however, that noise is actually more distracting to a child’s brain than to an adult’s.

According to a recent article featured on abcnews.com: “The ability to understand and process speech against competing background noise doesn't mature until adolescence.” Because of that, it’s important for children, especially young ones who are in the early stages of learning language, to avoid situations in which they’re trying to listen in a noisy environment.

The article gave some tips for parents:

—Don't leave the TV, radio and other electronics on in the background. It's not clear whether soft music is distracting, but lyrics might be.

—Speak clearly and make eye contact.

—Especially in noise, make sure tots see your face. They can pick up on mouth movements.

—If the child doesn't understand, try again with simpler words.

—If a child's having school behavior problems, make sure being unable to hear in class isn't the problem.