Listen Up: We’ve Got (Another) Winner!

 

Esquivel! coverThe 24thannual Audie Awards ceremony, held 4 March 2019, made one of our publishers a star—again! The Audies are the premier awards program in the United States recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment.

In the category of Young Listeners, Live Oak Media was represented by two of the five finalists. Esquivel! Space Age Sound Artist  is a picture book introduction to Mexican musician Juan Garcia Esquivel, written by Susan Wood and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, first published in print By Charlesbridge and turned by the Live Oak Media artistry and engineering into a fully soundscaped feast, read by Brian Amador, with singing by Rosi and Brian Amador.

Before She Was Harriet, written by Lesa Cline-Ransome and with Coretta Scott King Award Honors for illustration by James E. Ransome, came to a full cast performance in Live Oak Media’s studio, featuring SiSi Johnson, January LaVoy, Lisa Renee Pitts, and Bahni Turpin:

Before She Was Harriet audiobook cover
"Listeners travel back through time to explore the life of Harriet Tubman, guided by four African–American narrators. Lisa Renee Pitts, Bahni Turpin, January LaVoy, and SiSi Aisha Johnson narrate in turn to describe Tubman's voice rising in protest as a suffragist, the heroics of General Tubman, the secrecy of her work as a Union spy, all the way back to her childhood as a slave when her father taught her to read the stars. Sounds of horse-drawn carriages, marching soldiers, spirituals, and rushing rivers pair beautifully with the watercolor illustrations to help listeners imagine the many roles that Tubman played over her lifetime. The audiobook concludes with each narrator's echoing intonation of those roles, listing the many accomplishments of her life and honoring her legacy."     
                                                    - AudioFile Magazine

With these two strong contenders, Live Oak Media went to the Audies 2019 ceremony with good prospects. And, indeed, they created the winning Young Listener audiobook for the year! Before She Was Harriet, the full cast of highly regarded narrators (who can count many other Audie Awards across the years among them), and Live Oak Media added another medal to their recognition.

Congratulations to all!

You can hear a clip from the winning audiobook at the end of this AudioFile Magazine review.

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