Read Mumsnetters' feedback on the Rastamouse audiobook from Audible.co.uk. Non-testers: Try the free download and you could win a £200 voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This thread is for the Mumsnet Insight Panel members who were recruited to test the Rastamouse audiobook from Audible.co.uk

Audible.co.uk say "Join Rastamouse, Scratchy and Zoomer in a unique audio adventure that takes Da Easy Crew and friends on a musical journey to perform at a very special Carnival for 'likkle ones'!

With music composed by Andrew Kingslow and featuring the voices of Reggie Yates, Cornell John, Sharon Duncan-Brewster and William Vanderpuye, Da Big Carnival Fi Likkle Ones is an exclusive experience that brings the magic of Rastamouse to Audible.

Rastamouse is an award-winning British preschool television show created by Genevieve Webster and Michael De Souza. Rastamouse has a positive message for young children, promoting the need to understand what is right from what is wrong and why in a meaningful context."

Find out more about the Rastamouse audiobook by watching the video below and :

Non-testers: you can get a free download of the Rastamouse audiobook from Audible.co.uk here. By downloading the audiobook and then returning to this thread to let us know what you thought of it, you would be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 Love2Shop voucher.

Testers, please let us know:

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
  
• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  
• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  
• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial?
  

All testers who add feedback will be entered in to a prize draw, where one winner will receive a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

[xxmissbrightsidexx]

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook? 3 years old
  
• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook? when I recieved the link to download it, at home on the sofa
  
• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall? we loved it, it was so much fun
  
• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial? yes definitely, this was our first ever audio book & we really enjoyed it. Although we still love paper books too

[asuwere]

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
  

5yrs

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  

Just before bedtime on my bed

• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  

I thought it was quite good but dd didn't really enjoy it. She loves listening to music and loves books but just didn't seem to listen to this. I think she was getting distracted by the music and lost track of the actual story.

• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial?
  

I think we will try other books as she was keen, would just have to try different stories to try and engage her.

Thanks

[AdeleMcGilvray]

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
  

He's 18 months old.

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  

We listened to it in the car on a long journey.

• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  

After some initial confusion where he was trying to find a TV screen (where expects Rastamouse to be), he settled down and was very content for the whole journey. If my boy is happy then I'm happy, plus it didn't drive me crazy like other audiobooks could!

• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial
  

I think he would, he seemed quite engaged with this one so I'm hoping it's not a one-off!

[Reubymum]

Thank you for this opportunity

How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook? 2 years and 6 months old.

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook? First time at home 2nd time in the car.
  
• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  

It is the first audio book for my 2 year old and he was a bit distracted by wanting to see the pictures. When we tried in the car it was more successful. He loved the music he has never watched Rastamouse before. He liked it but did fall asleep at the end...However it was a long journey.

• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial? Yes definitely, they are more interactive than i remember. My 6 month old loved it too. Mainly when we did silly dancing to the music.
  

I would recommend audio books for long journeys as once he fell asleep I could put my music on instead. When he has the tablet I have to listen to the film until the end!!

Thank you again. Xx

[Sparklesandglitter]

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
  

3 years old

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  

We listened in the car when I needed to keep her awake!

• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  

We both really enjoyed it and had conversations about the story line. She now tries to demand it on every trip!!

• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial?
  

Yes for long car journeys it would be good, although personally I prefer music if travelling alone

[silviuccia]

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook? 3 years old
  
• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook? during lunch time at home
  
• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall? he was interested but he searched the images :D
  
• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial? I'm not sure, maybe he is too little

[zarinebedford]

My DC is 6 months old & we listened to the audio book at home before bedtime. I had to switch off after a few minutes mainly because I didn't quite understand the language or lingo being used. I found it very odd and it is not something I'd ask my son to listen to again. I also found the voices quite annoying. I'd be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial

[RachArk23]

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
  

Just turned 2 years old.

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  

Tuesday, in the car on the way home from shopping.

• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  

I thought it was great! My little girl was a bit confused as she could hear Rastamouse but couldn't see him. She enjoyed the songs but I think she's still a bit young to listen to a whole audiobook without being distracted by something.

• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial?
  

Definitely!

[sparkysam12000]

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook? 1 years old
  
• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook? in bed
  
• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall? un able to comment
  
• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial? yes definitely.

[missp0603]

-How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook? 3

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook? At home after lunch
  
• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall? Ok. Wasn't enthralled. Struggled to listen to it all.
  
• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial. Yes, as loves listening to audio usually

[TirNannyOgg]

Interesting one!

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
  

18 months, 4 and 6

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  

In the car on a long journey.

• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  

Liked the idea, I needed to do a running translation though!

• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks?
  

Yes, but in English that is compressible to them.

[TirNannyOgg]

Comprehensible even.

[BathshebaDarkstone]

DS is 4.

He listened to the audiobook on my phone with earphones for his bedtime story.

DS and I are already big fans of the TV series and have one paper book, we loved it. DS said "Lovely!"

We'd love to listen to more audiobooks in the future.

[lottietiger]

DS is two and 9 months

We listened to the audio book together on the sofa after dinner

He loves paper books as do I but was interested in this , unfortunately some of the language put him off and he lts interest a bit towards the end.

Yes we would love to try more audio books in the future, just this one wasn't quite right for him.

[barricade]

- How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
3 years old
- When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
At home during the past week (on the day that I received the email with the download link)
- What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
Sorry to say this, but it was pretty tough going. The characters had the appropriate West Indian accent / dialect, and the Caribbean-themed music was spot on. The problem was that this made things very confusing. In fact it even took myself many minutes to understand what was going on. It makes a big difference when we have the animated visuals to accompany the words. For example, the "Don't touch dat dial!" teaser trailer above is very enjoyable.
- Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial?
Child/ren are still too young for audiobooks - they need pictures to remain interested. Additionally, I myself prefer to read physical books, but would still be interested in listening to audio books in the future. (There are really good ones out there - A great audio book I listened to was Michael Morpurgo's 'Kesuke's Kingdom' which we used as part of a Literacy unit with Year 6, and the range of Roald Dahl and Harry Potter ones which are significantly enhanced by the integrated sound effects.)

[StillNoFuckingEyeDeer]

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
  

4y and 2y

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  

First at home in the afternoon, then in the car. It was more successful in the car, because the girls got distracted and started playing when we were listening at home.

• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  

They enjoyed it, particularly the music. I'm not sure how well the 2y old followed the story, but the 4y old loved it.

• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial?
  

Yes, definitely.

[gruffaloshmuffalo]

How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?

4 and 2

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  

We waited until I couldn't face anymore Wheels on the Bus. It was also pouring outside.

• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  

The 2 year old wasn't interested. The 4 year old was at first, but the music distracted him so he lost track of the story. Meaning I had to listen and fill him in.

• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial?
  

Definitely. It saved my voice having to read the books out

[shoebedo434]

How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook? 3 years and 8 months

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook? on my bed on a Saturday morning
• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall? he was confused as to why there was no moving pictures, he didn't really understand that you just listened and couldn't see anything. I think he also found it hard to understand what the characters were saying with their accents. he lost interest after less than 5 minutes and didn't want to watch anymore
• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial? I think he is too young to listen to a audiobook. at his age he is more into visual rather than audio. I wouldn't try another audio book for a couple of years

[Traceyedd]

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook? 4 Years old
  
• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook? at home on the sofa
  
• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall? Bit too long. he lost interest quite quickly.
  
• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial? Yes, i think at bedtime would have been better. I played it on my phone so he kept thought it was a stuck programme rather than a book.

[Hopezibah]

we tested this and here's our feedback:

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
  

She is 3 years old and usually enjoys watching rastamouse.

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  

We spend saturday mornings waiting for my son to finish his drama class - so i thought it would be good to listen to it whilst waiting in the car.

• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  

Sadly not impressed by this particular audiobook. Her first comment was that it didn't sound like rastamouse. We kept listening but didn't find it very engaging so we both got bored part way through the story. (we have enjoyed other audio books - so we like the concept of audio books these days but not this particular one)

• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial?
  

Yes we definitely won't give up on audiobooks as we know they can be very engaging and interesting.

[Hopezibah]

a few additional thoughts - I think too much music / noice / voices made it harder to concentrate and more distracting. A calm clear story reading voice with appropriate background music noices seem to work better for audio stories.

I think this one just hadn't been well thought through - almost as if someone thought that all the different voices and music would sound great as audio without thinking that actually sometimes less is more.

[Geezette82]

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
  

3y, 4y and 9m

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  

In the bedroom before bed

• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  

They liked the book but would only listen for about 15 mins at a time. However, they loved the music and really enjoyed dancing to it!
I think unfortunately although the story was good the music was much too distracting and my children preferred dancing rather than listening to the story. It was also very long for a book aimed at younger children. Would have been better suited for a long journey rather than a bedtime story.

• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial?
  

We really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and the children enjoyed having the different voices, rather than my sometimes questionable accents!
We will definitely be downloading more books

[busymummy0411]

- How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
4 years old
- When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
At home in the kitchen.
- What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
She didn't like it very much, she didn't want to finish it. She wasn't keen on the story or presentation.
- Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial?
Possibly, but they would have to be much more engaging for her.

[DN4GeekinDerby]

I put it on for my 3 year old. My 6, 8, and 11 year old were in the room as well. We listened in our living room in the late afternoon after the older kids had finished their homework.

My 3 year old was very bored, asked me to read other books, and wandered out halfway through and didn't come back. The 6 year old asked if we could turn it off halfway through.

I asked if they would like different audio books, my 3 year old said that was enough. I think different audio book might work better and am still interested into looking into them.

[lolapops1]

• How old is your DC who listened to the audiobook?
  

4

• When and where did your DC listen to the audiobook?
  

We listened to it sitting in the kitchen eating our breakfast.

• What did you/your DCs think of the audiobook overall?
  

I quite liked it but did think there might be a bit more music on it.
Child wasn't all that interested in it,didn't seem to understand that there were no visuals to go with it.

• Would you/your child be interested in listening to more audiobooks in the future after this trial?
  

I would give them another try not sure they would.