When my in-laws were packing up their house to move, my husband discovered a huge pile of story albums. I practically drooled over them -- but there was no record player in the house.

Well, we bought them one. And I can't wait to listen to those records. When I was a kid, I had Cinderella, Bullfrogs & Butterflies and a smattering of others. When we took my daughter to Disney World earlier this year, my husband (who'd never been) sat dumbfounded to find he knew everything about It's a Small World from a Disney record he'd had as a kid. I can still sing every song from my Sesame Street record.

Nancy at Dabbled has this great record collection of the exact albums I'm talking about: Mary Poppins, Sesame Street, Snoopy -- not always stories, but recordings in the style of old radio programs.

I've reviewed some audio books and bought some audio books, but it's not the same to hold a regular book as it was to hold that huge album book expectantly while slapping your sister's hand away when she tried to turn the page BEFORE THE BELL.

What is it about listening to a book read aloud that's so great? As a kid, it was staring at the pictures and hearing more than one voice tell the story. I also really loved the songs that usually accompanied. While physically being able to read words on a page is certainly important, listening can be more relaxing.

Luke at Sonlight Blog writes:

The power of books are the stories and the worlds they contain. And Sonlight's books, in particular, allow us to experience history in a powerful and memorable way. And listening is just as effective a way of learning as reading to yourself. And there is little better than spending time together listening to the same story that mom or dad is reading.

Many writers, like Stephanie of Letter Blocks, mention letting kids listen to audio books on long car trips:

So many of the wonderful guest writers here on Letter Blocks talked about how they read before they went to bed at night, and how beloved childhood books helped them become the talented authors they are today. I truly believe that every child can, and should, have that same experience, even if it’s by embracing the evolution of technology. On our recent trip to visit Grandma, I left the laptop at home and brought audio books instead. Before the trip I went to the library and picked out a few CDs I thought Anna would like. After a bit of hemming and hawing on her part, she accepted the fact that her ears, instead of her eyes, would have to do the work this time. And you know what? She enjoyed the story.

Do you remember your favorite book-on-record? Or on CD, if you're, like, totally younger than me? Do your kids have any favorites?