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Puffin Audiobooks: feedback for Laugh out Loud titles…find out what MNers think PLUS non testers - chance to win £75! NOW CLOSED

158 replies

AnnMumsnet · 31/07/2015 11:38

This thread is for the 125 Mumsnetters and their DCs who listened to a Laugh out Loud audiobook from Puffin. Testers could choose from one of the following audiobook titles:

  1. Wimpy Kid, Dog Days by Jeff Kinney read by Ramon de Ocampo (age 7+)
  2. The Twits by Roald Dahl ready by Richard Ayoade (age 5+)
  3. Danger is Everywhere by David O?Doherty ready by David O'Doherty (7+)
  4. Dennis the Menace by Steven Butler read by Steven Butler (age 6+)
  5. The Dinosaur That Pooped the Planet by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter - read by authors (age 5+)
    To listen a clip from each of these audiobooks click here

    Puffin say "We are absolutely delighted to have so many eager ears listening to our marvellous audiobooks this summer and taking part in our Audiobook Club
    We believe that audiobooks are a brilliant way for families to share the laughter, thrill and excitement of a good story. Whether you listened just before bedtime or on those long and winding ‘are-we-nearly-there-yet’ car journeys.
    All we ask is that you use the discussion threads to let us know what both you and your little ones, thought of the experience."

    Non testers: Share on this thread what your favourite audiobook is and why and you will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £75 voucher for either iTunes or Amazon so you can buy audiobooks!

    Testers: Puffin would love to know what you and your children thought by answering these questions:

  6. How old is the child who took part?
  7. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
  8. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
  9. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  10. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
  11. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
    We'd also like you to add a review of the audiobook on MN (using the links sent to you on the email).

    All testers who add feedback and post a review will be entered into a prize draw where two MNers will each win a £75 voucher from either iTunes or Amazon so you can buy audiobooks!

    Thanks and good luck!

    MNHQ
    Standard Insight T&Cs apply
Puffin Audiobooks: feedback for Laugh out Loud titles…find out what MNers think PLUS non testers - chance to win £75! NOW CLOSED
OP posts:
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lyndseyh78 · 10/08/2015 12:42
  1. How old is the child who took part?

    5 years old but my 8 yr old and 2 yr old Listened as well!

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?

    The Dinosaur That Pooped the Planet by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter

  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?

    We listened to it when we first received the email and since then we have listened to it over and over again :-)

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?

    On my iphone

  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?

    All 3 of my children thought this book was hilarious! They all giggled all the way through! What is not to love about Dinosaurs and poo ll in one book!

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?

    I really loved the Audiobook! My children listened to it in the car which was great as it kept them entertained and the sat happily listening to the book so they weren't so bored! We will be buying more Audiobooks in the future!

    Thank you for letting us be part of the trial we really enjoyed it Grin
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TheyGotTheMustardOut · 11/08/2015 11:41

non-tester

Same as my feedback on the other thread, my children are a bit too young yet for audiobooks, they still need the pictures to remain interested.

I like listening to audiobooks on long drives when my boys fall asleep. I like to stay awake by listening to something funny so David Sedaris works for me.

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hermancakedestroyer · 12/08/2015 14:44
  1. How old is the child who took part?
    10yo ds and 12 yo dd listened in as well.

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
    Diary of a wimpy kid dog days.

  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
    We listened to it first on a long car journey and again as they were relaxing to go to sleep.

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
    CD player

  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
    Loved it. It was really enjoyable. I love books and it was lovely listening to a book and not feeling sick by reading in the car!
    I also found it relaxing listening to it at night - it helped me to relax.

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
    Yes, definitely. They went down really well with us and we think they are a nice addition to actual books.
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PLUtoPlanet · 12/08/2015 15:29
  1. How old is the child who took part?

    A 7-year-old boy.

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?

    The Twits, by Roald Dahl

  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?

    I decided against bedtime, as I knew it as a quite grisly, exciting and winding-up tale. We listened to it in the car, between mid-day and early afternoon.

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?

    Car stereo

  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?

    DS says "I liked it!" His favourite bit was "Mrs Twit making Mr Twit eat worms for spaghetti."

    I was impressed at how deeply DS was listening, as though it was all new, even though his teacher had read it to them at school. To give an idea of his absorption, he was nearly crying with worry as Mr Twit approached the small boys caught on his Big Dead Tree: Mr T was threatening to make them into Boy Pie because they had frightened away the birds for his Bird Pie.

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?

    Yes, audiobooks are great! However, I am fairly sure we'll keep them for daytime listening, at least in this age bracket and above, since books at this age are meant to be absorbing and exciting, and audiobooks make it an even more immersive experience. Best not to wind him up at bedtime!
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OhHolyFuck · 12/08/2015 15:33
  1. How old is the child who took part?

    Nearly 5 year old boy

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?

    The dinosaur that pooped a planet

  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?

    At bedtime, in bed

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?

    On a CD player

  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?

    Ds1 liked it, he loved the dinosaur "pooping" sound effects especially!

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?

    Yes, we buy one every few weeks as he loves to listen to them before going to sleep and usually has trouble settling so needs something to help
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CarmonEileen · 12/08/2015 15:43
  1. How old is the child who took part?
    A) 8 years old.

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
    A) The Twits.

  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
    A) 7.30pm in her bedroom.

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
    A) Samsung Galaxy S3 Tablet.

  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
    A) She loved the fact it was narrated instead of a book to read, was a different way to enjoy a book. Her favourite part was the 3 boys being stuck in the tree!

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
    A) Definitely, she has the Roald Dahl collection already but i am going to get the audio book collection for her. It kept her totally engrossed for the full hour. Thank you ;)
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SaintEyning · 12/08/2015 16:06
  1. how old is the child who took part? 6
  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose? Dennis the Menace
  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook? In the car on the way to and from the childminder's so 8am and 5.30pm
  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook? Car CD player
  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it? He loves DTM cartoons and comics so this got a huge grin, lots and lots of laughs at the rude words (the bumface song in particular) and questions about why things were being done or said.
  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience? Yes, it's a great way to get him into books as we go over the physical book at bedtime (I mostly have audiobooks of things we own)
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Theimpossiblegirl · 12/08/2015 16:11

Non-tester

We haven't listened to audio books for ages but DD reminded me that we used to sit and listen to James and the Giant Peach waiting for nursery to open in the mornings (yes, we were always the first ones there so I could rush to work). I'd always felt a bit guilty but turns out they loved that time in the car together so I'm going to join the club and get back into audio books, just not so early this time.

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lpbarton · 12/08/2015 16:45
  1. How old is the child who took part?

    DS 8ys & DS2 - 5Yrs

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?

    The Twits Roald Dahl

  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?

    Afternoon - in the car.

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?

    General Car Cd Player

  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?

    It was funny, they loved the voices and the way the story was told (better than mum & dad!) it kept them amused and interested on a long journey.

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?

    Yes!!
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llynnnn · 12/08/2015 17:09
  1. How old is the child who took part?
    6

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
    The dinosaur that pooped a planet

  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
    She's listened to it several times now, at bedtime and during the day in the house

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
    Hudl

  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
    She really enjoyed the story and has listened to it several times. She is keen to listen to more stories and I think they'll be great for her in the car too as she does get car sick if she looks down. Her only wish is that this one was longer!

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
    Yes definitely!
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Dsiso · 12/08/2015 17:16
  1. How old is the child who took part? 4.5
  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose? The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet
  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook? To/from school
  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook? iPod played through car radio system
  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? Loved it. What did they like about it? He said 'it was funny, imagine a dinosaur eating rockets and things and making such a big poo!' The toilet humour was definitely a plus!
  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience? Yes, they provide endless hours of quiet time in the car - we love an audiobook!
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asuwere · 12/08/2015 17:22
  1. How old is the child who took part?
    5 yrs, also a 2yr and 1yr old listened in.
  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
    The dinosaur that pooped a planet.
  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
    Bedtime, in bed.
  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
    CD player
  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
    She loved it! She enjoyed being able to get the story when she wanted without having to wait for me. She enjoyed the story and giggled a lot at mention of butt! :)
  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
    I think I might. She really enjoyed it and it is good to have the option to read along if you have the book.
    It would also be good in car for longish trips.
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FlopIsMyParentingGuru · 12/08/2015 17:24

Non tester.
DS (6) loves an audio book when he goes to bed. Last week I'd have said one of his How To Train A Dragon audio books would have been his favourites but this week it's been George's Marvelous Medicine.

I just wish audio books on CD weren't so flipping pricey

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popelloucla · 12/08/2015 17:44
  1. How old is the child who took part?

    8

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?

    Diary of a Wimpy Kid

  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?

    Bedtime

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?

    CD player

  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?

    She thought it was good, she liked the story and the way it was told.

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?

    I would if they were cheaper, they definitely help her fall asleep.
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brittanyfairies · 12/08/2015 19:55

How old is the child who took part? The child who I registered for the audiobook was 10, but his 13 year old brother also listened.

2) Which audiobook did your DC choose? Danger is Everywhere.

3) What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook? Bed time for the 10 year old and lying on the beach and bedtime for the 13 year old.

4) On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook? They used an iPhone and an iPod.

5) What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it? They both loved it. They really enjoyed listening to the book. It helped them unwind at bedtime (when they weren't laughing at the antics in the book). They thought the narration in the book was fantastic, and I have to say whenever I listened I found myself caught up with the narration and giggling with the DCs.

6) Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience? We already have, the DCs loved it so much and I had a couple of spare credits on my Audible account that this morning they searched for another book they could listen to and they're both looking forward to going to bed so that they can get started.

This was a really positive experience for both DCs, I thought the older one wouldn't be that bothered, but he's actually listened to the book twice now, and they've both adopted language and phrases from the book. It's like a little private joke passing between them.

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BearAusten · 12/08/2015 21:09

We listened to the story as a family. My husband was not impressed, especially as the return to school is very soon. However, my son and I thought it was hilarious and listened attentively. A little naughty and cheeky, but appropriate for primary school age child.

My son listens to an awful lot of audio books. This is one of the better ones. Steven Butler is excellent for this audio book. He captures the mischievous spirit of the comics.
We find that the person who does the narration/voices for the audio book determines its success. When my son was younger we used to like to listen to the Hairy Maclary stories read by David Tennant. We have now progressed to the How to train a Dragon series (unabridged version from the books as opposed to based on the tv series/film). These are likewise engrossing. Tennant is similarly expressive in his narration/voices.

  1. How old is the child who took part?

    5 going on 6

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?

    Dennis the Menace

  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?

    Morning/mid afternoon after lunch

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?

    Iplayer

  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?

    Excellent

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?

    Yes
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MumofEandg · 12/08/2015 21:11

My children are 6 and 3

We had diary of a wimpy kid, I picked this because we'd read/listened to most of the others.

We listened on a car CD player in the morning on a journey and then again early evening on the return leg. We always listen to stories in the car.

My eldest loved it, the book was designed for slightly older children and he loved the jokes and the format of the diary. It was a very high quality recording.

We rarely buy audio books as they are expensive. We get them from the library, usually. We listen to them every week on journeys to swimming etc, there is always one on the go in the car. My boys thought it was very exciting that we got to keep this one!

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hanliying · 12/08/2015 22:02
  1. How old is the child who took part? 5
  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose? Dinosaur that pooped planet
  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook? Evening in living room
  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook? Cd player
  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it? Excited, reading books and listening at the same time
  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience? Yes
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LibbityBibbity · 12/08/2015 23:53
  1. Aged 7.5
  2. Danger is Everywhere
  3. in the car, 70-mile journey to a weekend away, we listened to the first disc on the way there and the second on the homeward journey
  4. In-car CD player
  5. No journey in our car is complete without an audiobook for us both to share, it's become part of the ritual of us packing to go away, choosing a story CD we can both agree on & it's a treat we look forward to when we have a brand-new listening book to enjoy
  6. We already have an extensive library of audiobooks and we're always on the hunt for new additions to our collection (many of them have come from charity shops or been passed on by older children who've outgrown them). I prefer to invest in box-set collections ie Roald Dahl/David Walliams
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MakeTeaNotWar · 13/08/2015 08:57
  1. How old is the child who took part?

    5 years old with the 2 year old joining in too.

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?

    Roald Dahl The Twits
  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?

    Bedroom, 7pm whilst winding down for bedtime

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?

    CD Player
  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?

    She loved it - thought the voices were funny and expressive and it really held her interest. She listened well and can recall most of the story.

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?

    Definitely yes
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mumsbe · 13/08/2015 09:23
  1. How old is the child who took part?
    7 and 2

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
    The dinosaur that pooped the planet

  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
    Just before lunch as the children were getting a bit bored we listened to it in the sitting room while lunch was being prepared

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
    Windows laptop

  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
    My daughter loved the fact the story was about a dinosaur that was pooing all over she found this very funny I really enjoyed the story too and my 2 year old wondered where the voice was coming from. My daughter loved the fact that there was a pumping noise when you should turn the page.

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
    Yes my daughter has taken the cd to her room to listen to she loves it that musch she said the voices sounded like punch and judy which was funny
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J3nnifer · 13/08/2015 11:34
  1. How old is the child who took part?
    5 and 6.
  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
    The Twits.
  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
    Early afternoon.
  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
    Car CD player.
  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
    They really enjoyed it. It was their first experience with a full audio book although they knew the story they were captivated. They particularly liked Mrs Twit's scheming ways!
  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
    Definitely.
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pilch84 · 13/08/2015 13:49

1)How old is the child who took part?

Two 4-years-old twin girls

2) Which audiobook did your DC choose?

The Twits by Roald Dahl

3) What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?

Listened to in the car; half of it on a late morning, the other half in an afternoon.

4) On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?

On my car's CD player.

5) What was your child's overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?

I was expecting them not to listen but, aside from occasionally asking me to explain some aspects of the story, they were hooked. They liked some of the tricks and revolting things the Twits did, like Mrs Twit putting worms in Mr Twit's spaghetti - the kids found it fascinating (just as I did when I first read this book twenty-plus years ago). It's a great story, and Dahl is a master storyteller.

6) Do you think you'd buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?

Yes, definitely. I was worried the story wouldn't grip them and they'd get easily distracted, but actually they listened intently. I was impressed with this and would definitely look to get other audiobooks now.

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purplepandas · 13/08/2015 15:32

We are loving Hairy MClary at the moment. Lovely rhyming and read by David Tennant. What's not to love?

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BeeMyBaby · 14/08/2015 08:17
  1. How old is the child who took part?
    5

  2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
    The Worst Witch

  3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
    Just before bed

  4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
    Ipod with speakers

  5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
    She loved the book, although when I asked her the favourite bit of the story she just said 'all of it'. Sometimes she is not very tired when going to bed as she has to go to bed at the same time as er 3yo sister so audiobooks are the perfect thing to keep her quietly occupied and thinking until she finally goes to sleep.

  6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
    Yes, we had been using some from the library before but after seeing the price (appears to be around £4?) for each audiobook we may buy a couple more - other audiobooks I had seen through alternative retailers appeared to me priced much higher.
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