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

[AnnMumsnet]

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

[SammyF1976]

1. How old is the child who took part?
   My daughter is 6 years old.
   
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?
   In the evening before bed.
   
4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
   On her cd player.
   
5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
   She found it very funny. She mainly liked the fact that the dinosaur pooed all over the place. 6 year olds seem to find poo very amusing!
   
6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
   Yes definitely. It's a great way for them to have a story read to them when time is an issue for Mum or Dad.

[AuditAngel]

1. How old is the child who took part?
   
   8, but her 4 year old sister also listened to it
   
   
2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
   
   Diary of a wimpy kids, but it was actually me who chose it as DD1 won't try anything new and so I wanted to use this opportunity to get her into more grown up books
   
   
3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
   
   At bedtime, normally she listens to a CD of a musical or reads a little, she was in bed.
   
   
4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
   
   CD player in her room (only discovered theirs was broken when the CD arrived and had to buy a new one!)
   
   
5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
   
   v engaged. She found it very entertaining and listened to it a number of times. She liked the fact the story was long enough to need 2 CD's. She liked everything about the book, "especially all the little bits" (I'm not quite sure what she means by that as she couldn't explain it to me)
   
   
6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
   
   Yes, I have already bought a set of 10 Roald Dahl audio books, I'm hoping that having listened to it first, she will be encouraged to try some more grown up books to read.

[larainee25]

5 year old. Listened to The Dinosaur That Pooped a Planet on CD. Listened in the car whilst travelling on holiday. Loved it and laughed out loud. Right level of humour for a 5 year old boy. Loves listening to audio stories especially on long car journeys and at bed time.

[futuresimple]

1) How old is the child who took part?
7yrs, but also listened to by 5yr old and nearly 3yr old in the car.

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

3) What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
In the car during one day on the drive back from France

4) On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
The car CD player, and the stereo system at home afterwards.

5) What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
They LOVED it! 7yr old says "Brilliant & Super Funny - everything about it is funny". The 5yr old was giggling like crazy in the back of the car. The nearly 3yr old kept repeating all the funny words and expressions. Glazed looks out the window and complete concentration as they were listening closely to the audiobook (peace and quiet at last!), even wry chuckles from Dad. David O'Doherty's voice and expression was right up their street. Whenever we needed to stop or pause the CD there were howls of distress.
We listened from beginning to end like a traditional audio book, but i would say this lends itself to non-consecutive listening. Also by the second CD I had had enough, and I thought they were laughing less, but they said they were still enjoying it. I think for their age group it's better to spread the chapters out over different days, as after 5 chapters it gets a little repetitive. The last few chapters were a little over their head on first listening but with repeated listening they will get more meaning - so this will prob be a fav for many more years as they get older. The new vocab is already entering the family lexicon. TIACA!

6) Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
We are already huge fans of audiobooks, but i tend towards children's classics - Roahl Dahl, Paddington, Winnie the Pooh, Wind in the Willows, etc. This has made me realise that I need to expand our genres with a bit of funny and ridiculous also.

[abuhamzamouse]

1) How old is the child who took part?
4 and 6
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?
They listened to it just before bed
4) On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
We had the CD - CD player
5) What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
They loved it - thought it was very funny and they loved the sound effects.
6) Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
Yes definitely

[FeelingSmurfy]

Raymond Briggs - the man

We listened to this when we were younger and I still remember parts word for words, it has now been passed on to the next generation and is being enjoyed once again

[Kelloges0811]

My children's favorite audio books are The Gruffalo Child, The Gruffalo and Tiddler. We listen too many more audio whilst on car journeys. It makes our car journeys more fun and is more relaxing when trying to concentrate on driving safely and not having to referee in the driving seat. We all love doing the voices for the characters and singing along to the songs.

[thesurreyyouth]

How old is the child - ds 6 also 12 year old dd
Audiobook - Dennis the Menace.
What time of day - mid afternoon then wanted to carry on listening at bedtime but he got upset that it was so good it was stopping him from sleeping!
What device - CD player
Overall impression - I thought DS would lose interest in the story but he enjoyed it from start to finish often laughing out loud. He couldn't believe it when the name bum face was repeated many times!
I will look out for further audiobooks now that I know DS enjoys them. Next time I will most likely purchase the titles for my iphone rather than cd.

[AGnu]

DS1 (almost 4yo) loves The Borrowers but it's really long so we often listen to The Secret Garden because it's just the right length to entertain him from our house to my parents.

[OanaChi]

1)How old is the child who took part?

Five and a half.

2) Which audiobook did your DC choose?

The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy.

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

Listened to in the car, late morning, on the way to Newcastle. We listened to half on the way there and half on the way back.

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?

Emma was hooked and so were we! She found the story fascinating and funny, shushed us when our voices got too loud at the front and was completely engrossed in it for most of our car journey.

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

Yes, definitely. I didn't know what to expect when I first put it on in the car but we were instantly hooked, learned new, big words like "preposterous" and see it now as the perfect way to make long road trips fun and entertaining.

[BlueEyeshadow]

Non -tester.

We have audio books for long car journeys with the kids. Favourite so far is Stephen Fry reading Paddington stories - such a perfect match of reader to stories, and funny for grown ups and children.

[over40andmumtoone]

My son is 5 and half and we selected The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet and The Twits from this selection. We've been listening to them in the car when we've been out and about and they were such a hit, that's I've bought more since.
You can read my full review here:
over40andamumtoone.com/2015/08/19/puffin-summer-audiobook-club/

[throwingpebbles]

Non tester - my boy really loves the audio books of the julia Donaldson stories. We play them in the car on long journeys and he roars with laughter at the rhymes and the stories and the voices, they really make the story come to life

[GetKnitted]

Non testers:

My favourite audiobooks are the wheel of time, because each one is four times or more longer than other books and not split into sections, so great value for money!

[oddgirl]

How old: my DS is 10 years but has autism so operates at a lower level.
Audiobook: Danger is Everywhere
What time/where: always at bedtime as part of bedtime routine in his bedroom
On what device: CD player
Overall impression: DS LOVED this book-lots of giggles and David`s voice just so funny. Very appropriate for him and suited his level of comprehension.
I would definitely look for more audiobooks: so so useful for children that struggle with reading to access great literature and enjoy books delivered in a more appropriate way. For children with autism who struggle with processing this is a very good way to help develop their often weak auditory processing skills in such a fun way!

[busybee1978]

1. How old is the child who took part?
   
   My daughter is six.
   
   
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?
   
   It was 5am and the start of a very long car journey.
   
   
4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
   
   On our car CD player.
   
   
5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
   
   She loved it and remained engaged throughout. To be honest, at that time of the morning I had half hoped it would send her back to sleep but she listened quietly throughout and really enjoyed it. She enjoyed the humour and the different voices of the narrator.
   
   
6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
   
   Definitely, especially for long car journeys. It was a great way to pass the time.

[Tabby33]

1. How old is the child who took part?
   2 children, one 2.5years and one 5years
   
   
2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
   The Twits
   
   
3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
   We listened to it in the car in the morning on the way to our appointment
   
   
4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
   MP3 in the car
   
   
5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
   The voices were brilliant and the story was engaging. We talked about what was happening and answered any questions as we went along.
   
   
6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
   Yes if they are buy the same person. They can be very hit and miss

[Mindfulofmuddle]

My favourite audio books were the Beatrix Potter stories voiced by Felicity Kendal et al. that I listened to as a child. I had a little tape recorder (yes, I am that old!) and would listen to the tapes over and over again, never tiring of the stories. I can still hear Felicity's voice telling those beautiful stories now (when In the Night Garden isn't blaring in the background ).

[wannabestressfree]

Age of child- 1o but to be honest they all listened! Right up to the ear stretcher wearing tattooed 18 year old. He loved it..

Audio book chosen
Wimpy kid and we listened on a CD which was good as we can also have it on in the car.

Would you buy/did you like it?
I was very sceptical it would have much success in our house. Youngest is on the cusp of losing interest and sucked into the vortex of gaming like his brothers. I was pleasantly surprised and actually as I have said the older ones enjoyed it to. They focused, listened and got real enjoyment from it. We will be getting some more :)

[mummymafia]

1. How old is the child who took part?
   2x dss 10 & 7 years old
   
2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
   the Twits
   
3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
   We listen to talking books when in the car, usually after school.
   
4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
   CD player in the car
   
5. What was your child’s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
   They liked the voice of the narrator & the short chapters. They thought the story was very funny, especially the revenge of the monkeys and the funny accents.
   
6. Do you think you’d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
   We listen to lots of audio books which we tend to borrow from the library.

[Marthamother]

Great audio book!

1. 7 year old and 4 year old daughters.
   
2. The Twits!
   
3. We listened to our book in the car on the school runs. It have the girls something to look forward to on the journeys as they wanted to know what happened next!
   
4. My cars CD player
   
5. Both my daughters loves it. They loved making up the pictures in their heads to go with their story, the novelty of listening to a story really griped them and they have asked for more since!
   
6. Yes without question! These audio books are great for the car, for relaxing before bed or on a rainy day, I will be making these a fixture that's for sure.

[mssakaf]

1/ How old is the child who took part?
My daughter was 5 year old when it arrived, she is now 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?
The first time was in the morning and in the living room but all the other times all different times mostly in the day and different rooms of the house!
4/ On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
Firstly, on a HiFi system (CD player) then all the other times on her own portable karaoke machine/CD player
5/ What was your child's overall impression of the expression? What did they like about it?
It was my daughter's first time listening to an audiobook that she recalls and could actually enjoy properly. (I played her a couple when she was much younger before she could read). She was fascinated by this book being read to her, found it fun to play it through and listen to it over again and again but not for the sake of it but because she loved the story and she isn't bored of it yet. When I asked her what she thought just now she just gave me a happy cheeky little smile - says it all. She liked that she could play it herself and she liked that she could repeat it and with the audio it was so much more real and sillier :)
6/ Do you think you'd buy or look for more audiobooks in the future?
Definitely. I think the medium was more enjoyable for me when my daughter was younger but now I think we can enjoy it properly and equally. Her thirst for reading is insatiable at the moment and it would be great to explore more books in this medium! Thank you for the laughter and enjoyment!

[sanabee]

1. How old is the child who took part?
   7 years
   
   
2. Which audiobook did your DC choose?
   George's Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy & Stephen Hawking ready by James Goode (age 7+)
   
   
3. What time of day and where did your child listen to the audiobook?
   evening 6-7pm in childrens room
   
4. On what device did your DC listen to the audiobook?
   laptop
   
   
5. What was your child??s overall impression of the experience? What did they like about it?
   He enjoyed listening to the story and imagining how things would look, he liked sitting with me and listening to the story.
   
   
6. Do you think you??d buy or look for more audiobooks in the future as a result of this experience?
   yes, as i found he settled to sleep better sometimes while listening to the story

[lionheart]

The unabridged Harry Potters are hard to beat (and very long) should you be driving, say, from the South Coast to the Highlands.

[pontosj16]

7 year old daughter and I listened to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on the portable cd player in her bedroom at bedtime. She said she enjoyed it but found it too long. She didn't enjoy it as much as her set of Roald Dahl cds which she listens to a lot - I don't think Sheridan Smith's voice was as appealing to listen to. We will listen to it again, though, while following the story in the book. She is building up a library of audiobooks, which we listen to at bedtime or in the car, and she loves it when we get the cd of a book she's enjoyed (also a good way to introduce a book that she's unfamiliar with).