CD Review: Kiddio Audio Adventures

Kiddio has launched a series of storytelling CDs featuring bears Billy Brown and his best friend Emma. After reading several other reviews of the series online, we dropped a line to Kiddio and asked to give Billy Brown Goes Hiking a try. There's something about a bear who wears jeans and a belt that piques the interest, and Billy's neatly-tucked-in flannel shirt makes Smokey the Bear look like a shirtless slob.

Startup Kiddio does a great job setting the scene with well-placed sound effects, and Z enjoyed listening to the story while lying in bed. But at not quite 3 years old, she had a difficult time with the story's parallel plot lines (bears hike in woods while a family of four gets in trouble) that don't converge until the story's climax.

Jeremiah and I listened to the story all the way through and feel confident that as Z's listening comprehension abilities increase, the story will keep her attention. The story's writer makes sure to include lots of lessons about camping and hiking safety, and manages to do so in an approachable way that rarely feels preachy.

Kiddio has produced three audio adventures so far, and plans to release a new one every three months, each running 30-45 minutes long. The company is racking up the accolades so far, with an iParenting Media Award and recognition by the insatiable Dr. Toy under its belt.

You can get Billy Brown Goes Hiking or any of the other Kiddio CDs on the Kiddio website for the reasonable price of $10.99. Billy Brown's latest installment, Billy Brown and the Frog Tunnel, sounds pretty cool - if it had been available when we put in our request to Kiddio, we would have asked for that one!