DIY Life

My three-year-old loves to listen to stories. As a conscientious mom and former reading teacher, this thrills me beyond words. We read books together often throughout the day, and though I love to spin a good yarn, we really like to listen to audiobooks while traveling in the car.

We own some good ones, and we frequent the library to check out lots of recorded books every three weeks. But Owen's favorite stories we can't find on CD, so we've just had to be creative about it. Here's what we've discovered:

• Robert Munsch is an author and storyteller with the sense of humor of a six-year-old boy. This works out for us, and since he's got scads of downloadable stories, it is a great resource.
• If you and your child like the classics, Kiddie Records Weekly has all the old recordings you listened to as a child, scratchy LP quality included! Some of these are really priceless; my son loves this version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

• Story Nory is chock-full of free stories: a new, original one every week,, plus classic nursery rhymes and fairy tales.
• It is embarrassingly fun to record yourself reading your child's favorite stories, or just retelling some stories you've told that he's loved. Grab his basket of kiddie instruments and enhance your recording. You know you want to.

I'm off to record myself telling the latest story of Owen's Castle, where each room holds a different adventure, perfect for a three-year-old boy. What stories do your kids like to listen to?