Today is World Read Aloud Day. For a different slant on this celebration… have someone read to you! For kids, try Bookflix, with stories read in English and in Spanish. Poets On Screen, a resource for adults, lets you hear poetry read out loud.
Both are free to Wyoming residents — accessible with a library card from any Wyoming public or community college library, or from the Wyoming State Library.
Bookflix
Bookflix includes fictional video storybooks read by authors and celebrities. Enjoy a story read by Claire Danes, Kathy Bates, John Lithgow, or Merle Streep or read by the authors, Mem Fox, Jane Yellen, Karma Wilson.
There are nine categories, such as Family and Community, Imagination, Earth and Sky, and Celebrations. In each category there are pairs of video storybooks and related nonfiction ebooks, along with additional early reader material such as, “which came first,” “fact or fiction,” and “word match.” There are 37 titles in Spanish, including Chato’s Kitchen, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and Click Clack Moo.
Listen to these wonderful stories by going to GoWYLD.net and selecting the Kids K-8 subject area. Note that there are two links, one for in the library and one for using from home. If you are not in the library, you will be asked for your library card number and pin.
Poets On Screen
Listen to poets read their works, and sometimes tell you the story behind it. Check out Robert Bly reading “After Drinking All Night with a Friend, We Go Out in a Boat at Dawn to See Who Can Write the Best Poem.” Or, Gillian Clarke reading “Red Poppy,” Wendy Cope reading “Waste Land Limericks,” or Billy Collins reading “The Country.”
You can also listen to poets reading famous works by long ago poets. For example, Patience Agbabi reading William Blake, Tennyson, Phyllis Wheatley, or Shakespeare, and Christopher Logue reading the works of Pablo Naruda.
Find Poets On Screen and more poetry resources by going to GoWYLD.net selecting the Literature subject area, then clicking on the Poetry tab on the left.
Questions?
Contact Chris Van Burgh, Wyoming State Library Database Instruction Librarian, at chris.vanburgh@wyo.gov or check with your local library.