Talking Books: An Overlooked Resource
Talking books have been around for a long time. My dad used them during the late 1960s and early 1970s after multiple sclerosis gave him double vision and made reading difficult. But with the rise in popularity of audiobooks among the general public and availability in a variety of formats, I forgot about the free resource Dad enjoyed so much.
The Talking Books Program
The Talking Books Program is a service of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), a division of the Library of Congress. The talking books website says the service is available “through a national network of cooperating libraries, NLS administers a free library program of braille and audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States by postage-free mail.”
Talking Books Kids’ Zone
The home page, which isn’t very pretty, has a link to the NLS Kids’ Zone. That page contains these categories (and a few teaser titles) for audio, braille, and print/braille book from the preschool to eighth grade levels:
Award winners
- Newbery Medal and Honor Books list
- Caldecott Medal and Honor Books list
- Christy Award Winners list
- YALSA Award Winners for Young Adults list
Bibliographies
- Animal Mysteries—Kindergarten to Grade 9
- Folklore and Stories from Native American Culture
- Key Documents in American History
Selected Series
- The Chronicles of Narnia book series
- The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- James Herriot books
The site also has links for kids’ magazines and state listings for the libraries in the talking books network.
Talking Books Kids’ Catalog
The main page also has links to a searchable kids’ catalog, and information about who’s eligible and how to sign up for the service. None of the links are pretty, but the products are free. So take a look and see if your child qualifies for the service.
If you already use the service, please leave a comment about your experience. Or share tips about how to maximize your child’s enjoyment of talking books. Thanks!
photo credit: www.freedigitalphoto.net
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By jphilo
Jolene Philo is the author of several books for the caregiving community. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. Sharing Love Abundantly With Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and Amazon. See Jane Dance!, the third book in the West River cozy mystery series, which features characters affected by disability, was released in October of 2023.
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Awesome resource. It just went on my pinterest board for differentiated instruction. I’ve heard about these at IEP meetings but it’s good to know more.
Thank you, Ruth. It is an excellent resource. Dad used to “read” Newsweek and several other magazines thanks to Talking Books. I was glad to hear they’re still around and have an online component.
Jolene