Our First Children’s Audiobook
Books do not have to be experienced only on the printed page.
At Abundance Books, we have been steadily expanding the ways readers can encounter our books, and this week marks another first: Dirt Dog Invites Prissy Poodle to the Prom by Lisa M. Pritchard is now our first children’s book available in audio.
It is currently available on Audible—and it will not be our last children’s audiobook.
For children and families, audio can open up new ways to enjoy a story. A child can listen while following along in the printed book, families can share a story during a car ride, and young readers who connect more easily through listening have another way to engage with the words and ideas.
For us, that is part of a larger commitment to making meaningful books available in formats that serve different readers.
Taking Children’s Books Beyond the Printed Page
Dirt Dog Invites Prissy Poodle to the Prom tells a story about confidence, character, and doing what is right even when it is difficult. Now readers can experience that story in audio as well as in print.
The release also represents something larger for Abundance Books. As our catalog grows, we are looking more intentionally at each book and asking a simple question: What formats make sense for this particular story and its readers?
Sometimes the answer is print. Sometimes it is an ebook or audiobook. And increasingly, we are exploring additional formats that can help a book reach people who might otherwise have difficulty accessing it.
More Children’s Audio Is Already on the Way
Our next children’s audiobook is already in preparation.
Tiny Tot Tiger Says Happy Birthday America will also be released in audio, giving families another way to enjoy the story together.
We are also preparing Understanding Ryan for release in both audio and American Sign Language.
That project takes the idea a step further. Rather than assuming every reader experiences a book in the same way, we want to think more broadly about how stories and ideas can be communicated.
The goal is not to create every possible format for every book. It is to consider the audience, the content, and the opportunities each project presents—and then make thoughtful choices about how that book can best reach its readers.
Expanding the Ways We Share Stories
At Abundance Books, we have already been exploring audiobook production for adult titles, using both human narration and AI-assisted narration depending on the needs, audience, and economics of a particular project.
Children’s books introduce another set of considerations. The experience of hearing a story matters. Voice, pacing, personality, and the relationship between the spoken story and the original book all play a role.
That is why Dirt Dog Invites Prissy Poodle to the Prom feels like more than simply another format added to our catalog. It marks the beginning of a new area of publishing for us.
One children’s audiobook is now available. Another is on the way. And with Understanding Ryan, we are beginning to explore ways of bringing books to readers through both audio and visual language.
We are excited to see where that leads.
Listen to Dirt Dog Invites Prissy Poodle to the Prom on Audible:
