Audiobooks
We are excited to share a special collection of audiobooks in partnership with Bolinda BorrowBox.
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Our audiobook collection offers an enticing invitation to enter different worlds, cultures and experiences. So plug in to your phone, laptop, ipad or desktop and enjoy this amazing collection.
Big Dog is a Big Help
Written by: Sally Rippin
Narrated by: Kaya Byrne
Recommended for 3+
Big Dog and Little Dog go camping in this fun follow up to Australian bestselling author Sally Rippin's Big Dog, Little Dog.
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Big Dog is such a big help when his family goes camping. He can fetch and carry, help with the cooking, and show Little Dog where to find all the best, soggy, muddy treasures. So why is everyone so upset with him? When Little Dog goes missing, though, Big Dog shows just how helpful he can be in finding Little Dog again.
Listen Here
You can listen to the full audiobook via the BorrowBox app or website. All you need to do is:
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Join your local library. It’s free.
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Download the BorrowBox app. Select your library and activate your account.
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Search for this month’s feature title under audiobooks. Enjoy!
Sally's Spotlight
The Garden of Empress Cassia
Written by: Gabrielle Wang
Narrated by: Rebecca Macauley
Recommended for 10+
Mimi laid the box on the bench and opened it carefully. Inside were rows and rows of coloured pastels that shimmered in the light. She rolled them under her fingertips and her imagination began to fill with amazing pictures. When Mimi is given a box of magical pastels, she discovers that she can draw the Garden of Empress Cassia - a drawing so beautiful and real that people are transported inside it. But the pastels are ancient, mysterious and powerful, and in the wrong hands can be very dangerous . . .
Listen Here
Why Sally chose this book
Last month I shared a book by our first Laureate. This month’s book is from the Laureate who came before me: Gabrielle Wang. I have long been a fan of Gabrielle’s books. As an Australian-Chinese writer, she infuses many of her stories with themes drawn from Chinese mythology and weaves them into contemporary Australian stories. The Garden of Empress Cassia was her first novel, which Gabrielle explains came to her in a dream where she remembered living above a shop as a child, and a gold lacquer box where her mother kept her pearls. This inspired the story of Mimi who is given a box of magical pastels and discovers that she can draw the Garden of Empress Cassia – a drawing so captivating and real that people are transported into it. Rebecca Macauley reads this story beautifully, transporting the listener into a world of magic, wonder and mystery.
About the Author
Gabrielle Wang is an author and illustrator, and the Australian Children's Laureate for 2022 and 2023. Born in Melbourne of Chinese heritage, her maternal great-grandfather came to Victoria during the Gold Rush and her father was from Shanghai. Her stories are a blend of Chinese and Western culture with a touch of fantasy.
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Many of Gabrielle's books have been honoured in numerous awards. Among them, her first book The Garden of Empress Cassia, won the 2002 Aurealis Award, was shortlisted for the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards and was a CBCA Notable Book. More recently, Zadie Ma and the Dog Who Chased the Moon was shortlisted for the 2023 Prime Minister's Literary Awards, the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, and the Queensland Literary Awards.
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Gabrielle's latest book The Silken Thread has just been released by Penguin Random House.
Bolinda is a world-leading audiobook and technology company. Entrepreneurial by nature, their mission is to serve the world and
inspire people to live their best lives through the power of storytelling. BorrowBox is a digital library experience that gives readers and listeners access to thousands of eBooks and eAudiobooks for free, with nothing more than a quick download and the details on their library card.