Recently we sent a young friend of ours a book about a favorite subject of his. He's 7. It's a picture book.  His thank you note to us was "Thank you for the book. I like the pictures." 

We've been hearing a lot about how the picture book is dead.  We're told that "older kids" -- we're talking 6-8 year olds here --

Don't get us wrong -- we're all for the advances in technology that have brought about exciting and new ways to read and listen, experience and learn.  We have continued to release our recordings on all available formats -- CDs, Playaway units, downloads, and coming soon, enhanced e-books. (We still have cassettes for sale -- though once our stock is depleted this format will be gone.)

What is still critical to each recording that we produce, however, is the BOOK.  Usually, it's a PICTURE BOOK.   We produce readalongs -- audio meant to be listened to while reading along with the book.  These recordings are carefully paced to allow time to hear and read the words, savor the pictures or photos that are an inherent part of the story being told. There are many studies to support why the combined auditory and visual experience is essential to language development and to building reading skills.  But we think it's simpler than that.   Good books inspire, entertain, enlighten -- and a good book with illustrations that complement and enhance the story are, quite simply, worth listening to, no matter what age you are!

We hope you'll give a listen to some of the wonderful new picture books we've released this spring and early fall.  And maybe even venture back to some of the outstanding award-winning picture books  that we have on our list, like Odyssey Award winners Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken and Jazz; our Grammy winners Mama Don't Allow and  There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.  And classics like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and Shrek and Blueberries for Sal.