Beyond Rudolph and Frosty

Tired of toys that demand 75 accessories or spare parts? Toys that do nothing to enhance your child’s imagination? Try stuffing your little one’s stocking with a recorded book or two. If nothing else, it will save you from reading that Barney story for the hundredth time.

Your child may find that listening to Charles Kuralt read “Winnie-the-Pooh” is like giving himself a warm psychic hug--if he or she can ever steal the tape away from you. Penguin Audiobooks did us all a favor when it released volumes of Kuralt reading A.A. Milne. Each is so enchanting that you well may find yourself sneaking off with a cassette and listening, all alone and grinning.

The late, much-missed Kuralt had a thick, deep voice and slow manner befitting a bear stuffed with honey. Though perfectly Pooh-like, he nevertheless changed his mood and tone subtly for each of Milne’s lively critters, easily capturing the humor, silliness and endearing kindness of Christopher Robin, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore as well.

All four volumes are unabridged. “Winnie-the-Pooh” and “The House at Pooh Corner” each takes up two 90-minute cassettes and costs $16.95; “When We Were Very Young” and “Now We Are Six” each takes up one 90-minute cassette and costs $10.95.

Also available from Penguin is another personal favorite, “Beauty and the Beast and Other Fairy Stories” (unabridged; two cassettes; three hours; $10.95), read by Nigel Davenport, Andrew Sachs, James Saxon and Juliet Stevenson. This is a very classy production. Each reader brings his or her tale to life with energy and charisma. The stories, however, are not politically correct and bloodless; these are fairy tales as baby boomers will recall them. If you want something a bit less gruesome than Bluebeard, opt for something else.

The latest from Airplay, a small company that produces only a few titles a year, features Martin Short in a finely honed comedic performance, reading “The Story of Doctor Dolittle” by Hugh Lofting (unabridged; two cassettes; three hours; $14.95; available in stores or by calling [800] 459-4925).

Directed by Lindsay Crouse and featuring original music, some of it composed by Short, this “Dolittle” comes across as much wittier than the printed version. So what if the parrot sounds suspiciously like Katharine Hepburn and one of the monkeys could pass for a Kennedy? The kids will never notice.

Naxos Audiobooks, which combines classical literature with classical music, has released a vibrant “Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi (abridged; two hours, 38 minutes; available on two cassettes for $11.98 or two CDs for $13.98). The story is read by John Sessions, whose performance is fully realized with Italian accents and startling shifts in voice, tone and attitude. If you can’t find Naxos tapes in your bookstore, call (800) 75-NAXOS.

If you want something slightly more raucous, look into the latest releases from August House, a company in Arkansas whose tapes can be purchased in stores or by calling (800) 284-8784. It is worth ordering a catalog, as August House offers selections for every age and taste.

I heartily recommend anything by Donald Davis, one of the company’s most talented storytellers, humorous on a level both adults and kids will appreciate. He spins his yarns from a kid’s eye view but informs them with adult wisdom. His deep, unusual voice calls to mind character actors from the golden age of radio, and his stories, such as “Jack and Granny Ugly” or “Dr. York, Miss Winnie and the Typhoid Shot,” are laugh-out-loud funny, ideal for listeners 8 and older. Each story takes up one, hourlong cassette and costs $12.

If you need a gift for that preteen who already has everything, try any of the Alien Voices productions released by Simon & Schuster Audio. Alien Voices is a small repertory company in California that includes Leonard Nimoy and John de Lancie. The troupe has recorded three audiotapes in the last year; each is produced much like an old-time radio play, but with better sound quality. The scripts are lively and accessible while faithful to the original material. Nimoy, De Lancie and company provide a host of diversified characters, aided by original scores and inspired sound effects.

Alien House’s latest release is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Lost World.” Still widely available are H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” and Jules Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” which contains a bonus: a short biography of the author and background information about this adventure into the Earth’s core. All three are abridgments; each takes up two 60-minute cassettes and costs $18.

As in the case every holiday season, there has been a spate of gooey releases about angels, magical boxes and dolls with special powers. Turn a deaf ear to most of them in favor of “A Christmas Carol” performed by Patrick Stewart (Simon & Schuster, 110 minutes, available on two cassettes for $16 or two CDs for $19.95). By far the best of the many audio versions of Dickens’ classic, it is guaranteed to put you in the holiday mood. Stewart’s charismatic performance highlights a careful abridgment, just the right length to enjoy en famille.